Artist's impression of EnviRecover at Hartlebury

Herefordshire Council and Worcestershire County Council have both approved plans to progress with a new energy-from-waste (EfW) incineration facility in Hartlebury, Worcestershire, moving the plant one step away from final approval.

Proposed as a variation to the 25-year joint waste contract Mercia Waste Management Ltd (Mercia) has held with Herefordshire Council and Worcestershire County Council since 1998, the incinerator – known as EnviRecover – will be built on Hartlebury Trading Estate in Worcestershire, and have the capacity to process 200,000 tonnes of residual waste (supplying around 20,000 homes with electricity per year).

The EfW plant has an expected operational life until 2042 and is expected to create 250 jobs during construction and 45 when operational.

Mercia has said that when its contract with the two councils ends in 2023, the incinerator will be handed over as an ‘asset’ to the local authorities.

Decision is ‘good news’ for residents

Speaking on Friday, the Leader of Herefordshire Council, Councillor Tony Johnson, said the cabinet was of the view that it 'could not continue to sit on [its] hands and watch the landfill in Worcestershire reach capacity by 2023'.

He continued: "The decision taken to progress with plans for the energy-from-waste plant is good news for the residents of Herefordshire and Worcestershire."

Councillor Anthony Blagg, Worcestershire County Council Cabinet Member for Environment, added: "We are committed as ever to preventing waste being produced in the first place and reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill, which impacts on the environment and is costly to the taxpayers of both counties.

"The planned energy-from-waste facility will not change that commitment and is not seen as an all-encompassing solution or an alternative to recycling…[but] sitting back and doing nothing to address this issue is not an option."

A spokesperson for Mercia commented: "We are pleased that the councils have approved the recommendation contained within the cabinet report. We are primed and ready to press on with contract variation, construction and commissioning of this essential piece of waste management infrastructure.

"EnviRecover will virtually eliminate the need for landfilling residual municipal waste across the two counties, whilst generating valuable renewable energy."

Plant background

Planning consent for the plant was granted by Worcestershire County Council in March 2011. However, the decision was called in for public inquiry in November 2011 as the proposals included development on Green Belt land.

The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles, approved plans for the incinerator to go ahead in July 2012.

According to the two councils, the decision to build a local EfW facility was brought about as escalating landfill taxes and ‘the significant risk of additional costs in securing out of county facility for residual waste’, meant ‘doing nothing [was] not an option both in environmental and financial sense’.

Indeed, a report submitted to the two cabinets found that the incinerator would save £128 million compared to ‘doing nothing’, rising to £400 million over the life of the incinerator (until 2042), when taking into account ‘nominal costs’ such as inflation.

The councils estimate the cost of pursuing EfW over its ‘whole cost life’ (until 2042) is £700 million. In 2016/17, when the plant is expected to become operational, the uplift (additional) payment will be £6.6 million.

Overcapacity concerns

However, opponents of the incinerator have voiced concern over the environmental impacts and cost of the incinerator, as well as whether the plant will have enough feedstock as residual waste levels decline.

Speaking to the BBC, Ray Kirby from Worcester residents Against Incineration and Landfill (WAIL) said: "Government waste statistics show recycling is going up, waste to landfill is going down and current incinerator capacity in the West Midlands is more than enough.

"There are cuts being made to services by both councils and they could cure that in one foul [sic] swoop by not building the incinerator."

WAIL’s concern mirror those of environmental consultancy Eunomia, which recently released a report claiming that England’s increasing reliance on residual waste facilities (such as incinerators) could see recycling rates ‘limited to 60 per cent’.

However, the councils estimate that in 2023/24, around 222,518 tonnes of residual waste will be produced in Worcestershire and Herefordshire.

A final decision on the plans will be made by the full council of both authorities and central government in January 2014.

If approved, construction will begin in 2014, with the plant expected to be operation in ‘early 2017’.

Read more about EnviRecover.