The EfW plant – which would be located at the former Hightown Quarry near Belfast – has been proposed by the Becon Consortium with a view to serve the arc21 area, a waste management group which represents six councils in the eastern region of Northern Ireland.
As well as having the capacity to handle up to 250,000 tonnes of residual waste per year, the project also includes development of a mechanical biological treatment plant, an ash treatment facility and a refuse-derived bale store at the quarry in Mallusk.
The project was first floated by Becon Consortium in 2013, but has since run aground after NI Environment Minister Mark H Durkan refused planning consent in September last year citing concerns that it “could discourage recycling” and potentially cause harm to human health.
The arc21 waste group appealed to overturn the decision while the Planning Appeals Commission waited to see whether Newtownabbey & Antrim council would support its position.
But at a meeting of the full Newtownabbey & Antrim council last week (27 June), councillors decided to defer their decision until more information about the proposed project had been made available.
In a statement the authority said: “The council continues to defer its decision regarding the Residual Waste Treatment Project in order to seek further legal advice and clarity regarding the project.
“This will allow the council to make a more fully informed decision as to whether the Business Case is in the best interests of our ratepayers.”
Delay
The ongoing delay over the incinerator means that the arc21 group may be forced to seek extended landfill deals in order to continue disposing of non-recyclable municipal waste (see letsrecycle.com story).
Following the merging of 11 councils in the region, local authorities within arc21 are: Antrim and Newtonabbey borough, Ards and North Down borough, Belfast city, Lisburn & Castlereagh city, Mid and East Antrim borough, and Newry Mourne and Down district.
Becon Consortium is part of the EEW Energy from Waste Group, which develops, builds and operates EfW plants across the Europe. It originally included E.On Energy from Waste and equity firm EQT Fund, but the former was later bought out by EQT Fund in May 2015.
Update [06/07/16]: Commenting on the deferment, Becon Consortium said: “The Becon Consortium made comprehensive representation to a full meeting of the Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council at the beginning of June 2016. It is important to note that the procurement process, which is entirely separate from the planning process, is still ongoing. We look forward to the resolution of this issue and remain focused on preparing a compelling final tender which not only demonstrates value for money for arc21 councils, but which importantly delivers a robust and sustainable solution, including improving recycling rates, to meet their waste management needs.”
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