Shropshire Star

£60m Shrewsbury incinerator project staying on schedule

[gallery] Work on the construction of a new £60 million incinerator on the outskirts of Shrewsbury is progressing well and remains on schedule.

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Waste contractor Veolia and contractors Clugston are building the burner at the Battlefield Enterprise Park and sent out letters to local residents living close to the facility over the festive period to update people on the scheme's progress.

It said that the project was on target to be completed by 2015 as planned.

The letter stated that, in the last three months, several key elements of building work have taken place, including relocating an electrical sub-station, finishing the building of waste bunker walls and starting work on putting in underground service ducts.

Work due to start in the first three months of this year includes assembling steelwork for a waste bunker, completing construction of a turbine hall and starting to put in boiler panels.

The structure of the building is already dominating the local landscape around the enterprise park.

Work began back in October and has provided around 200 jobs during the construction phase.

The facility will be dealing with commercial and domestic waste from the Shropshire area and will process 95,000 tonnes of rubbish per year.

In June, Shropshire Council's cabinet agreed at a behind-closed-doors meeting that the facility could process an additional 5,000 tonnes per year on top of the originally-agreed 90,000 tonnes. It was given the go-ahead in January 2012 following an extensive public inquiry called by Veolia after Shropshire councillors rejected plans for the site in 2010.

Once in operation, the plant will generate enough energy to power 10,000 homes.

One aim of the three-year construction project has been to employ as many local firms and workers as possible.

Donna Lindsay, a local caterer from Shrewsbury, is one of the people employed at the site where she helps to feed construction workers.

She said: "To be a part of a project like this is exciting. Things are going well and I hope that this is just the start of the expansion of my catering business in Shrewsbury."

Shropshire Council is currently undergoing a major review of its 27-year waste contract with Veolia, which was signed in 2007.

The terms of the deal mean the total being spent on waste management by the council is increasing each year.

In April, it was revealed the amount being paid to Veolia was going up by £548,000 to £25.8 million, up from £25.3 million in 2012/13.

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