letsrecycle.com

Viridor gets to work on Dunbar EfW plant

Resources and waste firm Viridor has confirmed that construction work on its 300,000 tonnes per year capacity energy from waste plant at Dunbar, East Lothian has commenced, with the facility due to be completed in late 2017.

An artist's impression of Viridor's Dunbar ERF

The £177 million plant is the latest energy recovery facility to be built by the Taunton-based firm, which is shifting its focus towards energy generation though a network of waste treatment plants at locations including Cardiff, Ardley, Exeter, Runcorn and Colnbrook.

viridor dunbar
An artist’s impression of Viridor’s proposed East Lothian energy recovery facility

Final approval for the facility was given in November 2014 after Viridor secured planning consent for the site from Scottish Ministers in December 2010, and approval from SEPA in 2011, and made the decision to proceed following the discharge of planning conditions and funding approval from Pennon.

The facility is due for completion in December 2017, following a 36-month build programme, and it is anticipated that the plant will support 55 full-time jobs. The first stage of construction features a three month programme of piling to lay the foundations for the development. The Dunbar EfW plant will take waste from Viridor’s local authority and commercial waste collections from across Scotland.

Construction

A joint venture comprising Interserve and Babcock & Wilcox Vølund A/S is carrying out the Engineer Procure Construct (EPC) contract to develop the plant at Viridor’s existing rail-linked Oxwellmains waste treatment hub.

ViridorPlantsCommenting on the development, Colin Paterson, Viridor’s Scottish regional managing director, said: “Scotland is realising the value of waste as a resource, rather than something we simply throw away. Viridor is at the forefront of helping Scotland achieve its ambitions to be a zero waste nation.”

Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Food and Environment, Richard Lochhead, added: “This is a significant investment, which will reduce the amount of waste going to landfill while generating energy to the grid. This sits alongside our internationally ambitious targets as part of a suite of measures to make Scotland a greener, cleaner place to live.”

Share this article with others

Subscribe for free

Subscribe to receive our newsletters and to leave comments.

Back to top

Subscribe to our newsletter

Get the latest waste and recycling news straight to your inbox.

Subscribe