London 2012 is unlikely to meet its target to obtain 20 per cent of its electricity from new local renewable energy sources during Games-time, the London Assembly was told yesterday.
David Stubbs, Head of Sustainability at the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) told the Assembly’s Environment Committee it was doing as much as it could towards meeting its target during the staging of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. However, the loss of a wind turbine scheme and a lack of other renewable energy projects in London mean it is unlikely to meet the target during the period of the Games.
The London 2012 team is still trying to reduce overall energy consumption during the staging of the Games. It is using boilers which burn waste wood and 50,000sq.m of solar panels which it wants to install around the Olympic Park. It is also planning a small scale Combined Heat and Power biomass plant which would be handed onto the legacy company after 2012.
Darren Johnson AM, Chair of the London Assembly Environment Committee said: “London said it would provide the greenest Games ever and although good progress is being made in many areas, it is disappointing that organisers don’t expect to meet their renewable energy target.
“With the event still two years away, I hope the London 2012 team will do everything they can to power the Games with as much energy as possible from renewable sources and help London live up to the promises it made.”
Another potential setback for Olympics organisers is lack of progress on developing new waste processing facilities. Food and food-contaminated packaging is expected to make up 40 per cent of waste created during the staging of the Games and it had been hoped this would lead to a new organic waste processing facility in East London.
