The Environment Agency has said it is “minded to” issue an operating permit for a planned £200m rubbish incinerator in Wiltshire.
The developer behind the proposed facility at Northacre Industrial Estate in Westbury has said the plant would represent a major investment in the county and could create 40 permanent high-skilled jobs when operational, and support 450 jobs during construction.
Northacre Renewable Energy (NREL), is a joint venture of power producer Bioenergy Infrastructure Group and Swindon-based waste management firm The Hills Group - which already operates a recycling centre at the site.
According to NREL, the plant could turn more than 240,000 tonnes of commercial and industrial residual waste into low carbon energy, with electricity generated enough to power around 50,000 homes and provide a boost to the local supply network.
The developer was previously granted planning permission for the project by Wiltshire Council last year. NREL has subsequently made changes to its plans for how the facility could incinerate waste, necessitating a new planning application.
NREL has decided to move from the use of gasification technology, to a conventional moving grate technology, due to supply chains being “negatively impacted by the uncertainties created by Brexit.”
Prior to the approval of the previous plans, South West Wiltshire MP Dr Andrew Murrison and local residents had voiced opposition to the plant over potential air pollution and increased HGV traffic.
Dairy giant Arla Foods, which owns a dairy next door to the proposed location for the plant at Northacre Industrial Estate, also wrote to the council to object to the scheme.
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In a statement released on Thursday (March 10) NREL confirmed the Environment Agency had issued a draft approval document for the environmental permit required to operate the facility.
NREL added the permit would only have been granted if the facility was not considered to pose an adverse impact on the environment or human health.
NREL said: “The facility addresses the pressing need for a sustainable long-term solution, to non-recyclable residual waste in Wiltshire, by reducing landfill’s contribution to climate change. Northacre Renewable Energy is ready and committed to play its part in the transition to a low carbon economy.”
There will now be a further consultation period which closes on April 22, before the Environment Agency makes its final decision.
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