Gloucestershire County Council agrees £500m incinerator contract
Gloucestershire County Council chiefs have agreed to award a 25-year contract to build and run a controversial £500million incinerator at Javelin Park near Haresfield.
The council's cabinet have handed the contract to Urbaser Balfour Beatty as expected today.
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Incinerator protest
Protesters against the incinerator gathered at the steps of Shire Hall this morning but their presence failed to deter councillors. The council's own environment scrutiny committee also voted this week to delay awarding the contract until planning permission had been secured.
In December 2011, Gloucestershire County Council’s Cabinet agreed to work with just one provider, UBB, to design, build and operate the new facility at Javelin Park near Haresfield.
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Cllr Stan Waddington, cabinet project champion for waste, said: “This decision follows on from Cabinet’s decision in December last year and will now allow us to agree a formal contract. This deal is good value for Gloucestershire taxpayers and will help us deliver a clean, green and affordable solution to Gloucestershire’s rubbish.”
Javier Peiro of Urbaser Balfour Beatty said: “Urbaser Balfour Beatty is pleased that Gloucestershire County Council’s Cabinet has awarded the contract for a long-term solution to the county’s waste problem. We have worked closely with the council to develop a solution for Gloucestershire and are confident that this contract offers excellent value and benefits for the county.
“The proposed energy from waste facility at Javelin Park will play a vital role in meeting the real and pressing need for an alternative to landfill in Gloucestershire.
“The facility would prevent the equivalent annual greenhouse gas emissions of nearly a million cars, recover approximately 3,000 tonnes of metals each year for recycling, and increase Gloucestershire’s renewable energy production by over 50 per cent.”
Urbaser Balfour Beattie incinerator website
A council spokesman said the contract would bring the following benefits:.
• Protecting Gloucestershire’s taxpayers from the rising costs of landfill and energy prices, which are estimated to save up to £190million over 25 years.
• Reducing carbon emissions and greenhouse gases by diverting 92% of the county’s residual household waste from landfill.
• Generating renewable electricity equivalent to the needs of at least 25,000 homes.
• Potential to provide heat to local businesses and residents.
During construction, around 300 jobs will be created and once the facility is up and running, around 40 people will be employed there.
The new facility will require planning permission and an environmental permit before it can be built and operated. Urbaser Balfour Beatty’s planning application is currently being considered by the planning authority and an environmental permit application has been submitted to the Environment Agency by the company.
Cllr Waddington continued: “I am pleased that the Inspector’s report on the Waste Core Strategy has been published in advance of this decision. People can be reassured that the proposed contract has been designed to be flexible and capable of adapting to what we need.”
In his report, the Inspector stated: “It seems to me that the county council’s view of the future municipal solid waste scenario is, in general, likely to be of the right order.
“It is based upon an analysis of locally derived data in the context of knowledge about local circumstances, particularly those that would influence the likely effectiveness of planned waste reduction and service change initiatives.”
Comments
by Bonkim2003
Thursday, September 13 2012, 8:15AM
“Councilwonk - Thanks - Yes I was talking about the options and the subject - the EFW was not considered at the time because of political ping-pong and the election in 2005.
Seriously it does not take 7 years for technical and economic options to be looked at and letting a contract - democracy only in name because no party has given a serious technical justification - leaving it to consultants and contractors to come up with a solution is sham - it is for the customer to decide what they want based on technical/economic/environmental optimisations. 7 years is wasted time/money and the various local authorities have put in place high-cost multi-bin collection systems which then reduces the utility of a waste to energy plant - just for what is left. So overall poor management, high cost for all of us without doing much for the environment.
MBT is still a no go as you have then to find a route to burning ir or sent back to land-fill - the options that SWARD are suggesting.”
by Councilwonk
Thursday, September 13 2012, 7:54AM
“Bonkim - you're wrong - what was proposed in 2005 was an MBT plant, not an incinerator. The project, if memory serves, had no plan to dispose of the Refuse Derived Fuel that the MBT would have produced.”
by Bonkim2003
Wednesday, September 12 2012, 10:57PM
“This could have been done in 2005 - but the Conservatives put a spanner in the works then - but now have back-tracked - what a charade and waste of public money -
Chrisgump2011 - it is not democracy but total ineptitude.
The £500M brandied about needs some check - the waste to energy plant will probably cost £100M - and the rest - over its life time - it is a little like saying a child born today will cost £10M over its life time.”
by Areaman
Wednesday, September 12 2012, 10:57PM
“CTFC Scout, you should check your aim before opening fire - the football club decision was Gloucester City Council, not the county.”
by CTFCScout
Wednesday, September 12 2012, 9:29PM
“So, within a week or so, the idiot council has said yes to an incinerator but no to a new football stadium.
VONC in the lot of them - what next, Gary Glitter appointed the council's children's representative?”
by Chrisgump2011
Wednesday, September 12 2012, 7:27PM
“Not really interested in all the heated argument but whether the Council's decision is correct and good value.
The Inspector seems to agree that the environmental case stands up and I can only assume that the debate about any health issues was considered. That said, the planning application has yet to be granted or refused, so all is still to play for.
Again, my assumption is that the contract will be voided if planning consent is refused.
This is democracy in action. Imperfect but it is the best system on offer”
by sam291
Wednesday, September 12 2012, 7:00PM
“This shows that Mark Hawthornes (Tory control party) does NOT care about what even their OWN environment scrutiny committee has suggested. This is NOT DEMOCRACY - THIS IS
WHAT THE TORIES WANT - no matter what health issues there are.
This now means that THEY WILL GET PLANNING PERMISION (As the cabinet consists of all TORIES) as if they do not give planning permission this would mean they would have to pay a substantial amout of TAX PAYERS money to BB - (So Really it is a done deal)
Thanks Mr. Hawthorne!! remember when he got the information WRONG regarding the closing of libraries, this cost the council a LOT OF MONEY because he did not listen.
I hear he may be standing for Quedgeley!! Well you are not welcome you only care about wasting tax payers money, so do not expect a welcome in Quedgeley.
The best place for an incinerator is in the Cotswolds but NO this is where our MP comes from
so not in my back yard.
We MUST stop this from being built before it is to late. There is flyash, more traffic and fumes, plus health problems, people out there that do not understand maybe you should look on websites, to see how many have been closed - because of health issues!!!
And Stan Waddington well what can you say about him? except a waste of space, and yes BB our a big donator to the Tories, so this is a conflict of interest and should not be!! it should be independant.
Regarding jobs that is a joke at the end of this there will only be jobs for 40 people, I bet these jobs have already gone to tory friends! and maybe Stan Waddington could be there consultant? who knows how they work.”
by SELINA30
Wednesday, September 12 2012, 6:46PM
“So, Parmjit Dhanda was not scaremongering after all.”
by sam291
Wednesday, September 12 2012, 6:37PM
“What a surprise on the outcome? Urbaser Balfour Beatty has now signed the contract with Gloucester County Council for the incineration at Javelin Park.
For you Sceptical people, I hope you can now see how the County Council run their business with OUR TAX MONEY...The council's OWN environment scrutiny committee also voted this week "TO DELAY AWARDING THE CONTRACT UNTIL PLANNING PERMISSION HAD BEEN SECURED"”
by LordGagas
Wednesday, September 12 2012, 6:20PM
“Balfour Beatty, arn't they a big tory donator?”