Cory Riverside

Cory is one of the United Kingdom’s leading resource management, recycling, and energy recovery companies. It operates one of the largest Energy from Waste (EfW) facilities in the UK, located on the banks of the River Thames in London. Cory is constructing a second energy-from-waste (EfW) facility adjacent to its existing plant. The company has a unique river-based infrastructure, transporting London’s waste on its fleet of barges and turning it into reliable, baseload energy for the UK grid.

Context: Closing London’s treatment gap

London and the South East still face a significant capacity shortfall: over 3 million tonnes of the capital’s residual waste must be landfilled or exported each year. Cory’s river-based EfW system tackles this locally by converting non-recyclable waste into dependable electricity, while cutting congestion and emissions.

How it works: A river-first circular economy

Residual waste moves by barge on the Thames, removing roughly 100,000 truck journeys from London’s roads each year. River logistics emit 4–6× less NO₂ than equivalent road haulage, easing local air quality pressures. Inside the EfW plant, metals are recovered for recycling, while bottom ash and residues are processed into construction materials — keeping resources in circulation and landfill to a minimum. Stack emissions operate well below permitted limits (e.g., PM₁₀ ~93% under the cap).

Impact & FAST-Infra Label recognition on Resources & Circularity

• 936,000 tonnes of non-recyclable waste diverted from landfill (2022).
• 476 GWh of electricity generated (2022).
• ~780,000 tonnes/year processing capacity at Riverside 1 (London’s largest EfW plant).
• Power for ~160,000 homes (current).
• ~150,000–166,000 tCO₂e avoided each year versus landfilling equivalent waste.

Data source: https://www.dalmorecapital.com/policies-and-documents/, https://www.dalmorecapital.com/our-investments/cory/, https://www.corygroup.co.uk/future-growth/riverside-energy-park/, https://giia.net/case-studies/cory-riverside-energy

Thanks to an application led by Dalmore Capital, which is part of the consortium that fully owns the company, Cory has earned the Self-Assessed FAST-Infra Label claiming the positive contribution of the Resources & Circularity criteria. This recognition reflects how the project embeds circular practices and their climate co-benefits in day-to-day delivery: treating residual waste locally (avoiding landfill methane), shifting transport to river barges (reducing road emissions), and generating firm, low-carbon power close to demand.

Learn more about the FAST-Infra Label Criteria

What’s next: Riverside 2 expands capacity and resilience

To meet rising demand for local treatment, Cory is building Riverside 2 next to the existing plant. Using proven moving-grate technology and sharing infrastructure with Riverside 1, the new facility will treat ~650,000 tonnes per year and generate electricity for ~176,000 homes. Co-location delivers efficiency gains, operational redundancy, and a larger base of baseload power for London.

Dalmore’s role on this project: Active ownership, measurable outcomes

A Dalmore-led consortium acquired Cory in 2018, backing a focused strategy on energy recovery and river logistics. Since then, Cory has refined core operations, lifted capacity, and committed to build Riverside 2 to close London’s treatment gap. Dalmore’s contribution here is explicitly performance-oriented: long-term capital for essential upgrades; governance that prioritises quantified mitigation metrics (tonnes diverted, GWh, CO₂ avoided, truck journeys removed); and support for innovations that keep emissions low while the system scales. That alignment between investor stewardship and operational delivery underpins Cory’s progress toward the FAST‑Infra Label requirements and the claim regarding the Resource & Circularity positive‑contribution criteria.

The bottom line: A bigger, cleaner local solution

With Riverside 1 delivering at scale and Riverside 2 on track, Cory is turning London’s residual waste into reliable, low-carbon energy — cutting truck haulage, emissions and landfill — and proving that circular, river-first infrastructure can move the climate needle in a city of nine million.

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