Artist's impression of Parc Adfer

Waste management firm Wheelabrator Technologies Inc. (Wheelabrator), has launched a public consultation on its proposals to build an incinerator in Deeside.

The proposed energy recovery facility forms part of the £800-million North Wales Residual Waste Treatment Project (NWRWTP), which was established to handle non-recyclable household waste from five counties across North Wales (Conwy, Denbighshire, Gwynedd, Isle of Anglesey and Flintshire) over the next 25 years.

The incinerator, named Parc Adfer (Adfer meaning to ‘recover’ or ‘restore’ in Welsh), is set for development on a former steelworks site at Deeside Industrial Park.

If built, the proposed facility could burn up to 200,000 tonnes of non-recyclable household waste per year, generating electricity ‘equivalent to the needs of around 30,000 homes’. The facility will also create heat or steam, which could be piped to nearby users.

It is thought the project could create around 300 jobs during the construction phase and around 35 full time jobs once the facility is operational.

Wheelabrator was chosen as Preferred Bidder for the North Wales Waste Residual Waste Treatment Project last month.

As such, it is now asking local residents and businesses for their feedback on its proposals to ‘help the team refine and improve its plans’, ahead of submitting a planning application to Flintshire County Council later this year.

Consultation details

The pre-application consultation programme for the facility is designed to ‘engage, inform, explain and involve’ stakeholders, interest group, and members of the community with the development and offers the public the chance to comment on the draft plans before they are reconsidered and a final planning application is made.

The local authorities have said that they had ‘confidence’ in the safety and performance of the ‘proven technology that Wheelabrator will be using’, however, the long-term incineration plan has caused concern with some local councillors and residents who believe that emissions from the incinerator could cause health problems.

Deputy Council Leader Bernie Attridge for Connah’s Quay, said: “I have significant concerns for the health and wellbeing of the residents of Deeside. I will continue to press for absolute assurances over the impact of emissions.”

Further fears centre on the growing overcapacity of incinerators in relation to falling residual waste figures and flatlining recycling rates.

However, Gary Aguinaga, Vice President, UK Operations at Wheelabrator, said: “This is our first opportunity to talk to local people about the technology we’re proposing and explain how we intend to build and operate this facility in a safe and responsible way.

“We want people to ask us questions – because that means we can start to address some of the concerns that have been raised and we can demonstrate how our experience and commitment to excellence will make this a state of the art facility that North Wales can be proud of.

“I’d encourage people to contact us, find out how they can get involved and ensure they make their views known.”

Information on the project is available online from today (19 May) and the consultation will run until 11 July, with six public exhibitions taking place in the first half of June to further address residents’ concerns. They are as follows:

• 6 June – 1 pm to 5 pm Coleg Cambria, Kelsterton Rd, Deeside, CH5 4BR
• 7 June – 9 am to 2 pm Connah’s Quay Civic Hall, Wepre Drive, CH5 4PJ
• 11 June – 10 am to 2 pm, Connah’s Quay Town Council, Quay Building, Fron Road, CH5 4DZ
• 12 June – 2 pm to 8pm Gladstone Village Hall, The Village, Burton, CH64 5TH
• 13 June – 9 am to 5 pm Days Hotel, Garden City, Welsh Rd, CH52 2HX
• 14 June – 9 am to 2 pm Deeside Leisure Centre, Chester Road West, Queensferry, CH5 1SA

Read more about Wheelabrator’s proposed incinerator plans for the NWTWP.