Paprec Energies Binn Ltd is a new company incorporated in November 2022 to develop the £90 million facility at the Binn Eco Park in Glenfarg, which will be operational “by 2026”, a year after the Scottish landfill ban comes into place.
Paprec Energies UK Ltd and Binn Group Ltd are the two parent companies.
Plans for the facility were first announced in March 2022 (see letsrecycle.com story). The deal with the council means the Binn Group can now begin to build the facility.
The council has sought to find a sustainable alternative for our residual waste
- Councillor Richard Watters
‘Carbon impact’
Councillor Richard Watters, convener for the climate change & sustainability committee at the council said: “Through this contract the council has sought to find a sustainable alternative for our residual waste and one which will also meet the Scottish Governments ban on landfilling biodegradable municipal waste.
“When planning the new contract, we were very aware of the carbon impact from waste management and therefore it was important to secure a solution that could reduce carbon emissions in line with our climate change strategy.”
Landfill
Currently, around 40,000 tonnes of non-recyclable waste collected in Perth and Kinross each year is sent to landfill. Under the terms of the new contract, providing 40,000 tonnes a year is sent to the facility, it would work out at around £125 a tonne.
Once operational the council said the facility will generate energy (heat and electric power) and have a capacity of 80,000 tonnes a year. It will also “add capacity to the existing private renewable energy grid at the Binn Eco Park and has the potential to power an extended private renewable energy grid into Perth”. The heat from the facility will supply heat using processes at the Eco Park including “advanced horticultural systems”.
Binn Group says the EfW project will create more than 200 jobs during the construction phase and 30 long-term skilled posts once operational. This was put down as “hopefully by late 2024” last year but now has a “by 2026” deadline.
Councillor Andrew Parrott, convener for the environment, infrastructure & economic development committee added: “This energy from waste solution offers a safer and less environmentally damaging way of treating unavoidable non-recyclable waste that previously went to landfill. Still, we recognise that avoiding waste in the first place must be the main priority and encourage residents to continue to reduce, reuse and recycle as much as possible.”
‘Forefront’
Interim solutions for the management of the councils residual waste are in place until the facility is operational in 2026.
Sébastien Petithuguenin, CEO of Paprec said: ”We are very happy that Perth and Kinross Council chose us for this project. Scotland has always been at the forefront of environmental thinking and Perth & Kinross Council’s ambition to transition waste from landfill into the circular economy is a clear way to answer to the challenges of this century.
“Paprec are proud to work in partnership with Binn Group in delivery of this ambition and our common values of commitment and long term thinking will help us realise this vision. We will be with you all the way, thank you for your trust.”
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