Peckfield

Peckfield was once a notable spot on the Great North Road, the point where the Leeds road branched off westward and followed by the 'Rockingham', Union Post' and 'Royal Mail' coaches. The Boot and Shoe inn stood at the fork and marked the half way point on the Leeds to Selby road. It is still there, on the west side of the A1 south of the A63. (Access from the A63.) On the other side of the A1 is the altogether newer Milford Lodge Hotel, a far cry from the once lonely inn across the way.

Milford Lodge Hotel, Leeds, Exterior of Hotel at Night 8K

Milford Lodge Hotel

Peckfield Power

Peckfield Landfill near Micklefield covers an area of 40 hectares and handles up to 400 thousand tonnes of waste per year. Operations at the site started in 1992 and are expected to continue for some years. The site is being progressively restored to a mixture of agricultural and wildlife rich grassland.

In 1999 Natural Power was invited to design and build a gas extraction and electricity-generating scheme for the site. Following gas pumping trials it was determined that the site had a potential for at least 4MW of capacity, however gas availability is still increasing and currently 3MW is being generated.

One particular aspect of the site is that a requirement of the restoration plan was that all wellheads should be buried to allow unimpeded access following site closure. The system designed by Natural Power to accommodate this requirement consists of 28 gas wells buried at least 18” deep to allow for ploughing. In addition, an anti-migration trench has been installed which has a further 18 connections to the gas extraction system.

Two generators were installed initially and commissioned on January 12th 2000, with a third being installed in November 2000. The plan is to “ramp up” generating capacity as gas availability increases in line with waste volumes. By 2003 it is expected that the site will be generating 4MW. Natural Power’s approach will make best use of the gas available from the site and will maximize the return from the gas resource whilst managing the risk of gas migration.

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