First apprentice appointed on North London Heat and Power Project

Councillor Clyde Loakes, Chair of the NLWA, meets Florentia Theori, the first apprentice on the NLHPP.

Today the North London Waste Authority (NLWA) announces the appointment of the first apprentice for the North London Heat and Power Project (NLHPP), the major investment project to modernise Edmonton EcoPark.

Florentia Theori, age 19 from Enfield, is working with locally-based construction company Galldris Construction Services to help obtain her Level 3 Diploma in Business Administration. The 12-month apprenticeship is being delivered in partnership with Enfield College, as part of the drive to boost skills in the borough and expand opportunities for local people. Florentia’s appointment represents positive action to increase female representation in the local construction sector.
This apprenticeship has been delivered in the first stages of the project, and at least 100 apprenticeships will be created throughout the construction phase. The project’s second apprentice will join Galldris later in the year to work towards qualifications in engineering. The project will support an extensive programme of skills training, with 225 opportunities to be created on site.

The NLHPP will replace the existing energy from waste plant at Edmonton EcoPark with a world-class facility, called an Energy Recovery Facility. The new facility will generate low-carbon heat and power for up to 127,000 homes – which is more than all the households in the borough of Enfield. This includes the potential to heat the new Meridian Water scheme in Edmonton.

The existing facility at the EcoPark is reaching the end of its operational life and taking this action could prevent up to 700,000 tonnes of non-recyclable waste from being sent to rot in landfill each year. The facility will save the same amount of carbon dioxide as taking 110,000 cars off the road every year.
The project will also deliver flagship facilities to boost recycling across north London, with a public recycling centre being built at the Edmonton EcoPark for the very first time.

Councillor Clyde Loakes, Chair of NLWA, said: “This is a fantastic milestone and I’m delighted to welcome Florentia to the project. We take great pride in supporting local apprenticeships, and this role is the first of many opportunities being generated during the construction of this flagship project. It’s a testament to our focus on local opportunities that we’ve already appointed our first apprentice before the main building works have started”.

Florentia Theori said: “I’m excited about my apprenticeship with Galldris because I’ll be able to develop important skills and work on a really interesting project. I’m looking forward to working with the health and safety and accounts teams, to expand my knowledge and support my future career ambitions in the construction industry. I’d like to thank both the Galldris and NLHPP teams for this unique opportunity.

Throughout 2019 rapid progress has been made to get the site ready for construction. 2020 will see an important milestone, with work starting on the new recycling facilities. Then, in 2022, construction activities will start on the new Energy Recovery Facility.