PM hails waste infrastructure developments

Waste infrastructure projects have been labelled a crucial part of the UKs long-term economic plan by Prime Minister David Cameron.

During a visit to a transport project in the East Midlands with Chancellor George Osborne yesterday (April 22), Mr Cameron praised more than 200 transport, flood defence and waste management infrastructure projects due to start operations or be completed in 2014 to 2015.

The projects are part of 36 billion of planned infrastructure investment in the UK including 5 billion public investment, 21 billion private investment and 10 billion in joint public and private investment that could support over 150,000 jobs in construction.

Mr Cameron said: Ensuring Britain has first class infrastructure is a crucial part of our long term economic plan: supporting business, creating jobs and providing a better future for hardworking people.

As a crucial part of our long-term economic plan, this government is backing business with better infrastructure so that more jobs and opportunities are created for hardworking people, meaning more financial security and peace of mind for families.

Among the waste projects listed to enter operations over the next two years are Derbyshire county councils 140 million mechanical biological treatment (MBT) and gasification plant on Sinfin Lane (see letsrecycle.com story), Viridors 200 million Beddington Lane energy-from-waste (EfW) plant (see letsrecycle.com story), and AmeyCespas Milton Keynes Waste Recovery Park (see letsrecycle.com story).

Meanwhile, facilities due to be completed in 2014 and 2015 include Veolias Shropshire-based EfW (see letsrecycle.com story), SITA UKs Great Blakenham EfW (see letsrecycle.com story), and Viridors 205 million Ardley incinerator (see letsrecycle.com story).

Investment

The comments were welcomed by Viridor, which has invested 1.5 billion in UK-based infrastructure, and saw its seven projects currently under construction or entering operations listed in the plan.

Dan Cooke, director of external affairs at Viridor, said: We are proud to be at the heart of Britains growing green economy. Over the last five years we have been investing in the development of facilities that give resources new life from delivering quality recycling capacity to essential modern energy recovery facilities.

Becoming a resource-efficient country and one that is resilient requires vital and ongoing investment in social infrastructure.

The Prime Ministers message also chimes with Veolias call for government to encourage inward investment ahead of the Chancellors budget announcement last month. The company has invested 1.6 billion in infrastructure over the past 14 years. (see letsrecycle.com story).

The government has faced criticism in recent months that it is not doing enough to support waste projects, after Norfolk county council was forced to terminate its EfW contract with Cory Wheelabrator after Defra pulled 169 million in funding from the project in October 2013 (see letsrecycle.com story).

And, though listed in the governments infrastructure plan, it is still unclear how AmeyCespas EfW in Allerton Park, North Yorkshire, will be funded after Defra pulled 65 million in waste infrastructure credits from the project in February this year.

Delivery

Chris Leslie MP, Labours shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, said: Under David Cameron and George Osborne, despite multiple infrastructure plans and reheated announcements like todays, infrastructure output in the economy is down more than 10%.

He added: Investors need certainty and delivery, not just another load of warm words.”