The energy firm behind plans for a new waste incinerator on the site of the Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station says it is “looking at alternative options for the future” after one of its former shareholders decided not to proceed.
Nottinghamshire County Council’s planning committee approved Uniper’s plans for a new energy-from-waste incinerator in 2021.
In March the following year, then-Secretary of State Michael Gove gave the scheme final approval, despite concerns raised by environmental campaigners at the time.
The East Midlands Energy Re-Generation (EMERGE) Centre was set to burn almost 500,000 tonnes of waste annually, reduce landfill, and generate enough energy to power 90,000 homes.
It was designed to operate similarly to Nottingham’s Eastcroft incinerator, which burns waste to produce energy for 5,000 homes and more than 100 businesses via the district heating network.
However, one of Uniper’s former shareholders, the Finnish state-owned Fortum, has decided not to proceed after disposing of its shares in the scheme.
Uniper is now almost entirely owned by the German government.
A Uniper spokesperson said:
“Uniper gained planning permission for EMERGE in 2022, and now that Fortum has taken a decision not to proceed, we are looking at alternative options for the future.
“The area of the site earmarked for EMERGE also falls under the Ratcliffe LDO.”
Planning permission for the scheme is due to lapse in March 2025.
Nottingham City Meadows ward Councillor Michael Edwards (Lab) said:
“What is striking is that some of the national arguments that have been made for incineration have changed.
“It is intriguing. There has been a huge growth in incineration across the country… but to what extent does it change our situation?
“I don’t know if it has changed the prospects of an incinerator at Ratcliffe. If you’ve got any advice on that?”
David Arnold, head of planning and environment at Nottinghamshire County Council, responded:
“There are changing circumstances at the moment, and I think waste-to-energy is being questioned on several levels, both financially and environmentally.
“There is planning permission at Ratcliffe, and that has not been implemented yet. We don’t know whether that will be implemented.
“They have got until March next year, and that is with Uniper. It is on their land, and because of these circumstances, they may change their minds. I don’t know, but it is a permission that hasn’t been implemented yet.
“A waste-to-energy plant in Derbyshire, Swadlincote, was refused on a need basis.
Economic changes are creating and challenging whether there is a need for waste-to-energy.
“The waste industry is constantly evolving due to new policies. New technologies are emerging to manage waste more efficiently, effectively, and environmentally, and people’s behaviours are changing, so they are not producing as much waste.”
Over a decade ago, the government increased taxes on councils for landfill use due to environmental concerns, leading local authorities to utilise incinerators to avoid these costs.
However, a recent BBC investigation found that incinerators are the dirtiest way for the UK to produce energy since the abandonment of coal.
Councillor Edwards added that the recent reports have created further uncertainty about any future expansion of the Eastcroft incinerator in Nottingham.
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