To address the issue, the CBI called on the coalition to take action in the next six months to clear a “backlog” of 37 energy infrastructure planning applications that it said were “delayed” in the planning system.
This Government has great green ambition, but we need to see swift action if it is to fulfil its green promise.
John Cridland, CBI director-general designate
Among the projects on the list are an energy-from-waste facility, burning waste-derived fuel to produce up to 60 megawatts of electricity, which has been proposed by chemical company Brunner Mond and energy firm E.On for a site at Lostock, near Northwich in Cheshire.
And, it also includes plans for waste wood to energy biomass facility being proposed by Dalkia, a subsidiary of Veolia Environnement, for a site at Polington, near Goole, in East Yorkshire.
The projects are listed for determination by the Secretary of state for trade and industry as generating station applications under section 36 under the Electricity Act.
Transition
The CBI also called for a “smooth transition” to the new Major Infrastructure Unit – a new unit within the Planning Inspectorate that the government has proposed to succeed the independent Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) as the body responsible for considering major planning applications.
The IPC's workstream includes two energy-from-waste incineration applications made by US company Covanta Energy, for sites in South Wales and Bedfordshire.
The CBI claims that certainty on planning is needed if the UK is to meet its climate change targets, echoing sentiments expressed by many in the waste sector that planning difficulties are endangering the UK's ability to meet its long-term landfill diversion goals (see letsrecycle.com story).
John Cridland, CBI director-general designate, said: “Changes to the Carbon Reduction Commitment and the planning system have created a mood of uncertainty among investors.
“An effective planning system is at the heart of building the low-carbon infrastructure needed to transform our economy. Meanwhile, businesses that take steps to cut their emissions should be rewarded, not penalised.
He added: “This Government has great green ambition, but we need to see swift action if it is to fulfil its green promise.”
The CBI calls for a range of other measures to be taken carried out in the next six months to address the issue, such as:
- Finalising electricity market reform – proposals for electricity market reform were published by the government last week (see letsrecycle.com story);
- Supporting investors with a prompt national policy statement on energy;
- Changing the carbon reduction commitment, or CRC, to incentivise energy efficiency among companies.
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