Investment for Edinburgh energy from waste plant

The UK’s Green Investment Bank [GIB] has invested £28M in a new energy from waste power plant at Millerhill near Edinburgh.

The £142M facility will have the capacity to process up to 155,000t of non-recyclable waste from local residents into 94,000MW of electricity each year.

It is expected to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30,000t per year, equivalent to removing 13,800 cars from the road over the project’s lifespan.

Spanish recycling and waste management specialist FCC Environment has a contract to design, build, finance and operate the facility.

Construction will commence shortly and the project is expected to create up to 350 jobs during the initial phase, with a further 40 operational jobs being created upon completion in 2019.

GIB Head of Investment Banking Edward Northam said: “We are supportive of steps taken in Scotland to drastically reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill.

“It’s important that materials are re-used and recycled wherever possible but it’s equally important that infrastructure is developed to increase the amounts of energy recovered from waste that can’t be reprocessed. The Millerhill plant will aid that process greatly and help ensure landfilling in Scotland continue to fall.”

FCC Environment Chief Executive Officer Paul Taylor said: “The project delivers a low carbon solution focused on landfill diversion while the partnership will deliver real economic and community benefits.”