Aberdeen City Council has confirmed that the NESS EfW facility will restart today, after being temporarily closed since early December following the termination of its operating contract.
Suez Recycling and Recovery UK has now formally assumed responsibility for the plant and staff previously employed at the site have transferred to the interim operator.
Waste deliveries are expected to resume shortly after reopening, with councils planning a phased return to full residual waste inputs from Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and Moray within a matter of days.
Facility shut down in December
The reopening follows a period of disruption for the facility, which shut in December 2025 after ongoing technical difficulties.
During the closure, Aberdeen City Council terminated its contract with former operator EfW Ness and appointed Suez to manage the facility on an interim basis.
John Scanlon, CEO of Suez, previously commented: “We have enjoyed a long-standing relationship with Aberdeen City Council through the management of their waste and recycling, delivering increased recycling rates and introducing reuse to the benefit of Aberdeen residents, and we look forward to continuing this collaborative partnership.”
The council said the shutdown would not affect household refuse collections across the three local authority areas, with waste diverted to alternative facilities, primarily Stoneyhill landfill.
Second NESS EfW shutdown
The plant, which processes more than 100,000 tonnes of residual waste each year, began operations around 18 months ago.
This was the second shutdown of the plant in six months. Operations were previously halted in June 2025 after escalating technical issues, marking another setback for the site, which has been operational for less than two years.
The NESS EfW project has faced a number of challenges since construction, with Indaver withdrawing from the scheme in August 2025, after which Spanish engineering firm ACCIONA took over the facility.
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