Veolia destroys Syrian chemicals at Cheshire plant

The firm treated B-precursor chemicals removed from the country, at its high temperature incineration facility in Ellesmere Port.

Chemicals arrived in the UK around three weeks ago, and disposal of the materials was completed on Wednesday (August 6).

The B precursors are two industrial grade chemicals, which if combined with chemicals known as A precursors produce nerve agent. As a safety and security precaution, the type A and type B precursors were never transported together by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

Sarah Moseley, Veolia’s director of hazardous waste services in the UK, said: We are pleased to play a small role supporting the British government in this important international effort to make the world a safer place.

We can confirm that the Syrian chemicals have now been safely and securely destroyed at our state-of-the-art High Temperature Incinerator in Ellesmere Port.

The incineration was successfully completed under the verification procedures of the OPCW and marks the end of Veolias involvement in this campaign.

Ellesmere Port

Opened in 1990, Veolia’s Ellesmere Port facility treats some 100,000 tonnes of hazardous materials a year and employs 73 staff.

Syria agreed to give up its chemical programme following a deal brokered between the US and Russia last year. The call for disposal came after rockets filled with deadly sarin chemicals were used on civilians in the Ghouta agricultural belt around the Syrian capital of Damascus, provoking international outrage.

The United Nations estimates more than 100,000 people have died in the Syrian conflict since it began in March 2011, with some 6.5 million displaced internally.

Commenting on the work, minister for the Middle East and North Africa, Tobias Ellwood, said: “By destroying these chemicals, the United Kingdom has played its part in the international effort to ensure that Assads chemical weapons can never again be used against the Syrian people. The removal, and now the destruction in four countries, of the declared Syrian chemical stockpile show what can be achieved when the international community, including Russia, agrees to work together for the common good.”