Communities secretary Eric Pickles yesterday (February 21) decided to allow the companys appeal against Oxfordshire county councils October 2009 decision to refuse planning permission for the plant.
Viridor plans to use the facility to treat residual waste delivered under a long-term contract with Oxfordshire county council. The company was named as preferred bidder for the 25-year deal ahead of Waste Recycling Group in September 2009 (see letsrecycle.com story).
Yesterdays decision was welcomed by Viridors project manager, Robert Ryan, who said: The decision reflects the urgent need to provide a much needed alternative to landfill disposal. Our proposed state of the art development will provide a long-term solution to Oxfordshires residual waste treatment needs which is safe, robust and cost-effective.
We will continue working with Oxfordshire county council towards signing of the contract and look forward to starting preparation work to deliver a first class facility.
Between 130,000 tonnes and 160,000 tonnes of residual waste is expected to be delivered under the contract with Oxfordshire, with the remainder set to be filled by commercial and industrial waste from within the county.
Waste sent to the facility will generate up to 24 megawatts of electricity for export to the National Grid, while Viridor also stressed that 95% of the waste sent there would be diverted from landfill.
Applications
Viridors attempts to secure planning approval for the Ardley facility have involved it submitting two planning applications, with the latest decision involving its original rejected application, which the company appealed against in January 2010 (see letsrecycle.com story), prompting a public inquiry.
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The second application which the company said related to a temporary energy-from-waste arrangement, was approved by Oxfordshire county council in October 2010 (see letsrecycle.com story).
Following yesterdays decision, Viridor plans to begin construction on the plant in spring 2011. With construction and commissioning expected to last for three years, the facility is scheduled to be up and running in the summer of 2014.
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