The money 105 million over the lifetime of the contract will cover 25% of the gate fees for non-recyclable household waste set to be treated at the Trident Park EfW plant in Cardiff, which is currently under construction.
Prosiect Gwyrdd a partnership between Caerphilly, Cardiff, Monmouthshire, Newport and the Vale of Glamorgan councils will pay the remaining 75% over the course of the 25-year period.
Viridor was announced as preferred bidder for the 25-year contract to operate the EfW facility, with the option for a five-year extension, earlier this year (see letsrecycle.com story).
The contract will see the Trident Park plant process 172,000 tonnes per year of the councils residual waste to produce enough energy to power around 50,000 homes. Overall, however, the merchant facility will have the capacity to handle 350,000 tonnes per year and produce 30MW of electricity.
The 185 million investment by Viridor in the plant will generate more than 360 jobs at the peak of construction as well as apprenticeship opportunities and 36 full-time jobs when in operation. The project is expected to be operational from 1 April 2016.
The facility will also provide a community benefit fund of 50,000 a year to support local projects in the five local authority areas; a visitors centre enabling the public to visit and view the operations; and a community liaison group, made up of residents, elected members and the Environment Agency to engage with the project.
‘The project team can now work with Viridor to finalise the agreed terms with a view to signing the contract by the end of September.’
Councillor Russell Goodway, chairman of Prosiect Gwyrdds joint committee
Councillor Russell Goodway, chairman of Prosiect Gwyrdds joint committee, said: In the current challenging economic climate, this project shows the benefits of councils working together in partnership and benefitting from the financial support from the Welsh Government. The project team can now work with Viridor to finalise the agreed terms with a view to signing the contract by the end of September.
Recycling targets
According to Prosiect Gwyrdd, the contract will save the partner authorities approximately 500 million over the next 25 years and help to meet recycling targets set by the Welsh Government, which are the highest in the UK.
Welsh Government minister for natural resources, Alun Davies, said: At a time when councils across Wales are facing an unprecedentedly difficult financial climate and working to improve services with reduced resources, this facility will help councils in south east Wales save money, which can instead be spent on our schools, libraries and roads.
The Welsh Government is working towards recycling 52% of Wales’s waste this year, increasing to 70% recycling and zero waste to landfill by 2025.
The reuse, recycling and composting rates for each of the partnership councils in 2011/12 were: Caerphilly 56%; Cardiff 50%; Monmouthshire 55%; Newport 46%; and Vale of Glamorgan 50%.
The Minister added: We are working hard to ensure that we prevent, minimise, reuse or recycle as much of our waste as possible. However, for the waste left over, it is far better to use it to create energy that can power our homes and businesses than to bury it in the ground.
Sending our waste to landfill and leaving it to rot is no longer an option it uses up our land and damages our environment. As well as creating jobs in the waste and resource management industry and saving our councils money, Prosiect Gwyrdd will cut Waless carbon emissions and help reduce climate change.
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