Encyclis completes acquisition of Biffa’s ERF shares

The two Energy Recovery Facilities (ERFs) – located in Leicestershire and Cheshire respectively – are now wholly owned by Encyclis.

Biffa had a 50% stake in Newhurst in Leicestershire and a 25% stake in the under-construction Protos ERF in Cheshire.

Mark Burrows-Smith, Chair of Encyclis, said: “This is an exciting time for Encyclis. By taking full ownership of two major facilities in our core fleet, we are consolidating our position in the centre of England.

“The clustering of our best-in-class assets in this region brings a range of geographical benefits in terms of operational optimisation, flexibility and efficiency for waste suppliers, and progress on decarbonisation.

“At the same time, we are making good progress with our construction projects, and look forward to developing a full-scale carbon capture project at Protos.

“This all reinforces Encyclis’ position as one of the UK’s most significant owners and operators of Energy from Waste (EfW) facilities, with a growing portfolio and a commitment to the highest standards in all areas of our business.”

The Midlands and adjoining regions generate 10 million tonnes of non-recyclable waste ever year.

Encyclis central England cluster

Once construction is completed, Encyclis’ cluster of facilities in central England will provide over two million tonnes of residual waste treatment capacity every year.

It includes:

• The Rookery South ERF in Bedfordshire (majority owned and operated by Enclyclis)
• Newhurst ERF in Leicestershire (wholly owned by Encyclis)
• Protos ERF near Ellesmere Port in Cheshire (wholly owned by Encyclis)
• Walsall ERF (wholly owned by Encyclis)
• Wellingborough IBA Processing Plant in Northamptonshire (part-owned by Encyclis)

In addition, Encyclis plans to develop the first commercial-scale carbon capture facility for EfW.

Located in Cheshire, the Protos carbon capture project is set to form part of the HyNet industrial decarbonisation cluster.

It has been selected to progress in Track-1 of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s industrial carbon capture programme.

Biffa statement

When the sale was originally announced, Biffa CEO Michael Topham said: “After a multi-year partnership, we are pleased to be selling our investment in the Newhurst and Protos Energy Recovery Facilities to Encyclis. Together we have delivered on our shared objective to create a cost-effective, lower carbon disposal route for residual waste.

“Moving forward Biffa’s focus is on further developing our core services and other innovative partnerships to help our customers reduce and decarbonise waste, while still supporting the development of the UK’s waste infrastructure.”

Newhurst ERF recently reached its second full year of operations, having completed commissioning in May 2023. Plans to export heat from the facility to supply a proposed district heat network for Loughborough University and nearby businesses are also being developed.