U.K. Rookery South Waste-to-Energy Plant Secures Environmental Permit

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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--The long-running saga surrounding the proposed Rookery South waste-to-energy power project in the U.K. has taken a step in the right direction after it secured an environmental permit by the U.K. Environment Agency (EA).

The permit comes seven years after the controversial project first got the planning green light from the U.K.'s Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) in 2011. The Rookery South Energy Recovery Facility in Bedfordshire England will convert more than 500,000 tonnes of residual waste per year into approximately 60 megawatts (MW) of low-carbon energy, enough to power roughly 75,000 homes. Developer Covanta Holding Corporation (NYSE:CVA) (Morristown, New Jersey) said that site preparation work has begun, with full construction anticipated to follow by mid-2018, in conjunction with financial close. The project is expected to be fully operational in 2021.

The Environment Agency stated: "We have considered all the relevant factors, including all public consultation responses, and have reached the conclusion that the proposals will not give rise to any significant pollution of the environment or harm to human health."

Despite more than 3,300 responses to the consultation on the project from the public--most against it--the Agency granted the permit. "Whilst the level of public response has been significant, it is important to note that under the relevant legislation we can only consider those issues which are relevant to the permitting process. This means that any planning-related issues, for example traffic-related impacts, cannot be considered."

Matthew Mulcahy, Covanta executive vice president and head of Corporate Development, welcomed the decision: "Receipt of the environmental permit represents one of the final hurdles before we move into full construction of the Rookery project. The facility represents critical waste infrastructure that will help the U.K. achieve national recovery, recycling and renewable energy targets. We are pleased with the progress we have made to reach this point and look forward to bringing this project to completion."

Since 2016, Covanta has partnered with the U.K. arm of Veolia Environnement SA (Euronext:VIE) (Paris, France) on the project. It will cost £200 million ($284 million) to construct. For additional information, see May 17, 2016, article - Covanta, Veolia to Build Rookery South Bioenergy Plant in England.

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