Doubts cast over Herefordshire autoclave

The Court of Appeal quashed a challenge on Monday from local residents' group the Herefordshire Waste Watchers after they appealed the outcome of a judicial review in November (see letsrecycle.com story).

However, the future of the facility still remains unclear after Herefordshire council said this morning that it was not committed to sending its waste to the 100,000 tonne steam treatment plant – and may choose energy from waste technology instead.

Speaking to letsrecycle.com this morning, a spokeswoman for Herefordshire county council explained that while autoclave technology had not been ruled out, it was just one of a range of options which Herefordshire was considering to treat its residual waste.

In particular, the council explained that some councillors were more interested in modern thermal technologies which did not leave behind a residual element after treatment – such as those involving plasma technology – and created energy for the national grid.

The spokeswoman said: “We are in the throws of renegotiating our whole waste management contracts and we are very much in a consultation stage as to our options. The Cabinet members have some very innovative ideas.”

“A public consultation will start around April time and we hope to have a preferred technology option in place by the end of the year, and I think the council will invite new bids depending on the options,” she added.

Worcestershire

Despite doubts in Herefordshire, however, Estech's parent company ReEnergy confirmed this week that plans to build a similar 100,000 tonne capacity autoclave at Hartlebury in neighbouring Worcestershire were still on track.

Worcestershire council has granted a period of exclusivity to Estech to conclude contractual agreements over the facility with its contractor Mercia Waste Management by March 2008.

ReEnergy now expects that was treatment will begin on the site using the firm's Amercial “Fibrecycle” process in late 2009.

A statement issued by ReEnergy in December said: “The timeline that has been agreed between the parties is for financial close by the end of March 2008. Work is due to start on site shortly afterwards and is expected to last approximately 18 months.”

The Chairman of ReEnergy Group PLC, Roger Hewitt, said: “This is a significant step forward in this project. We now have the opportunity to finalise the legal agreements and deliver shareholder value through the application of Estech's leading autoclabe technology.

“We now seek to replicate this project at a significant number of other sites where we are in negotiation,” he added.