The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall ended their annual visit to the South West today in Devon.
Going their separate ways, The Prince of Wales began the day at a waste facility in Plymouth. The Devonport Energy Waste Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Facility takes local waste and converts it into energy, treating 245,000 tonnes of waste per year. The waste is used to generate heat and electricity for the nearby Naval Base, the next stop on The Prince’s itinerary. While at the waste facility, His Royal Highness saw how rubbish was delivered to the plant, and how it is burnt to make energy, and also had the opportunity to sit in the control seat of the gantry crane and grabber.
After the visit, The Prince joined roundtable with corporate leaders to discuss other ways waste can be turned into energy, convened by The Cambridge Institute of Sustainability Leadership.
It was then on to Her Majesty’s Naval Base Devonport for The Prince, the largest naval base in Western Europe. The naval base is partly powered by the nearby waste facility, The Prince’s first visit of the day. At the naval base, His Royal Highness met navy personnel, apprentices, civil servants and contractors, and saw how energy from the waste facility is used to power part of the base.
The Duchess of Cornwall meanwhile officially opened the new BBC South West Headquarters.
The new headquarters will be home to cutting edge news-gathering and broadcasting technology, and Her Royal Highness was able to see some of this in action during her visits to the radio and television studios and the news and planning desks.
