Weighbridge system brings important control to Jersey’s new EfW Plant

A bespoke driver-operated weighbridge management system supplied by Weightron Bilanciai is playing an important role at Jersey’s new £110 million Energy from Waste plant (EfW), located at La Collette on the outskirts of St Helier.

The La Collette EfW facility will provide a reliable and environmentally friendly means of waste disposal for the Island over the next 25 years, whilst providing up to 7% of the Island’s electricity needs. The new facility will more than double the renewable power generated from waste on the Island and is replacing the ageing Bellozanne incinerator. The new process uses the latest EfW incineration technology and meets the highest air quality standards in Europe.

The Weightron system comprises two 18 metre 50 tonne capacity Eurodeck pit weighbridges, dual height driver-operated terminals, card readers, control barriers, traffic lights and vehicle end sensors. The robust weighbridges have been specially coated to withstand the marine environment. Weightron’s versatile Winweigh software package manages the complete weighing process, communicating directly with the plant’s ERP management system. Winweigh’s flexible modular structure provides control for a wide range of peripheral equipment and the system can be updated to meet future operational requirements.

The two driver-operated weighbridge systems are used to weigh vehicles transporting waste material to the site and those removing residues such as ash and metals from the plant. In addition to recording essential weight data for fiscal and legislative purposes, the Weightron system provides improved vehicle logistics and site security through the use of vehicle identity cards. The dual height driver-operated terminals accommodate a range of vehicles from vans to articulated lorries.

Drivers delivering waste to site drive onto the ‘IN’ weighbridge and present their cards at the Self800 driver-operated terminal. The system checks the stored details against the database relating to the product being transported, the vehicle, the haulier and the source. If all is in order the vehicle and its load are weighed and the ‘first weight’ recorded in the database. If any additional information is required, the driver is prompted to enter it via the Self800 screen. The vehicle is then allowed off the weighbridge and the load tipped. The empty vehicle then drives onto the ‘OUT’ weighbridge before exiting the site. Again the driver presents the card to the terminal and the second weighing takes place. The system records this against the first weight for that particular vehicle and prints out a ticket for the driver. A similar weighing process occurs, in reverse, for vehicles transporting residues from the plant.

Bypass lanes along side both weighbridges, fitted with barriers and card readers, improve vehicle throughput by allowing registered non-weighed vehicles to enter and leave site whilst still maintaining security.

The plant’s Transport and Technical Services Manager Gary Davies is pleased with the installation and as he concludes: “Recording accurate weight data for vehicles entering and leaving site is essential to the plant’s operation and therefore the weighbridge system plays a key role. We are impressed with the versatility of the Winweigh system, which not only allows us to control the overall weighing procedure, but also provides additional on-site vehicle management capabilities. We know that if we need to update operational procedures in the future this can be done with minimum plant disruption.”