‘Milestone’ reached as Runcorn EfW receives permit

Viridor has announced that the first stage of the Runcorn energy-from-waste incinerator is on course to be operational in 2013 after the plant was granted an environmental permit last week (May 17).

The Runcorn facility, which is planned to have a capacity of 420,000 tonnes-a-year, is the largest single waste treatment plant being developed under the consortium Viridor-Laings PFI waste contract with Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority (GMWDA).

Viridor-Laing is developing the plant in partnership with major chemical producer INEOS ChlorVinyls, which intends to use the facility to power its neighbouring chlorine production plant.

The Runcorn facility will be used to act as the end destination for 275,000 tonnes-a-year of solid recovered fuel (SRF) generated by the five mechanical biological treatment facilities being developed by Viridor-Laing under the GMWDA PFI deal.

The environmental permit for the plant was issued by the Environment Agency last Tuesday, in a move which Viridor has welcomed as a milestone for the energy-from-waste project.

Mark Burrows-Smith, Viridor operations director, said: Viridor is very pleased to reach this milestone. The environment permit, which will be strictly regulated by the Environment Agency, provides assurance that the plant will operate safely and efficiently.

In the six years since this project began, we have been working very closely with the GMWDA, INESO ChlorVinyls and Viridor-Laing Greater Manchester, and these close working relationships have helped ensure the successes of the project thus far. We now look forward to the first stage of the project reaching completion in 2013.

Development

Former energy minister Malcolm Wicks granted planning permission for the plant at the end of 2008 (see letsrecycle.com story). And, the plant had been scheduled to enter the commissioning stage in late 2012 (see letsrecycle.com story).

The second phase being developed solely by Viridor is set to follow on shortly after, which will see Viridor accept waste from other commercial contracts.

Construction of the facility by engineering firm Keppel Seghers is currently underway, with the Singapore-based company being handed a 223 million contract to build the plant in April 2009.