The verdict on a major incinerator energy project at Flixborough has been postponed again, with a new decision deadline set for spring 2025.
It marks the fifth deferment for the North Lincolnshire Green Energy Park proposal, which is too complex to be managed at the council level and requires approval from a Government Secretary of State.
The initiative promises to generate up to 257 jobs and contribute £5.7m to the local economy. The incinerator itself would have the capacity to transform as much as 760,000 tonnes of non-recyclable waste into 95MW of electricity, reports Grimsby Live.
The planning inspectorate submitted its recommendations forthe North Lincolnshire Green Energy Park in August 2023, with an expected decision within three months. However, the process has faced repeated hold-ups, with a fifth delay announced in October.
Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, informed Parliament: “I have decided to set a new deadline of no later than March 14, 2025 for deciding this application.”
He explained that the extension was necessary to provide “sufficient time” for his department to review and consult on an upcoming Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) report regarding infrastructure capacity for residual waste, which includes non-recyclable or black bin waste.
The North Lincolnshire Green Energy Park project, which includes a controversial incinerator, is also set to feature a carbon capture storage system, a facility for manufacturing concrete blocks, plastic recycling operations, hydrogen production and storage, as well as battery storage facilities. Plans also encompass a visitor centre, a 65-acre wetland area, and the restoration of a 9km single-track railway line that would reconnect Flixborough Wharf to the British Steel site in Scunthorpe.
The energy projected to be generated by the incinerator could potentially power an equivalent of 221,000 homes. However, the project faces opposition, including from the pressure group UK Without Incineration Network (UKWIN) and numerous local residents from areas such as Flixborough and Burton-upon-Stather, who expressed their objections during a 2022 consultation.
In September, Colin Hammond, director of the North Lincolnshire Green Energy Park, addressed the planning inspectorate, highlighting the “significant delay” in reaching a decision. Citing recent decisions on other waste-to-energy facilities across England, he stated: “We trust that there will be no further delay to the current determination date of 18 October 2024.”
Despite these assurances, a verdict has yet to be reached, leaving all parties awaiting a decision for several more months.
This is contingent on DEFRA releasing its much-anticipated note on residual waste infrastructure capacity promptly.
Original artice – https://business-live.co.uk/all-about/yorkshire-humber