Wheelabrator lays out plans for Deeside EfW plant

The American-owned firm plans to build the Parc Adfer facility as part of its 25-year contract to treat residual waste on behalf of the North Wales Residual Waste Treatment Project (NWRWTP), for which it was named preferred bidder in April (see letsrecycle.com story).

Councils involved in the NWRWTP deal include Flintshire, Conwy, Denbighshire, Gwynedd and Isle of Anglesey councils.

Wheelabrator has today (October 2) submitted its planning application to Flintshire council for the plant. The proposed facility would be located on the site of a former steelworks on the Deeside Industrial Park near Connah’s Quay.

The firm hopes that planning consent for the plant could be granted during the first half of 2015, which would then see construction work commence late in the year.

Heat

It is hoped that the facility could be operational by 2018. Wheelabrator also aims to supplying waste heat from Parc Adfer, in the form of piped steam, to nearby industrial or commercial users.

Around 150,000 tonnes of the plant’s capacity will be dedicated to the treatment of waste from the five local authorities, while the remainder will be available to commercial and industrial clients.

Commenting on the plans Wheelabrator’s managing director for the UK and Europe, Gary Aguinaga, said: “This is another significant milestone for Wheelabrator and brings the creation of a sustainable, long-term solution to managing residual waste in North Wales a step closer. Wheelabrator’s UK operations are growing at pace, with several new projects now at different stages of either planning or construction.

“These facilities create benefits in many areas – not only will they help us divert more non-recyclable waste from landfill but they will also create jobs, boost supply chain businesses and create more energy security for thousands of UK homes and businesses.”

Wheelabrator has also said that it is completing construction of its Ferrybridge Multifuel 1 facility in West Yorkshire – which is being developed in partnership with SSE. In addition, the firm is taking forward plans to develop a 550,000 tonne facility at DS Smith’s Kemsley Mill, near Sittingbourne in Kent.