Green light for Javelin Park Energy from Waste Facility

In January 2015, Urbaser Balfour Beatty (UBB) secured planning permission to construct the Energy-from-Waste (EfW) facility at Javelin Park in Gloucestershire. Once operational, the Javelin Park facility will process up to 190,000 tonnes of residual household waste per year from Gloucestershire and generate 116,000 megawatt hours of electricity annually - enough to power approximately 26,000 homes - significantly increasing the county’s renewable energy production.

The facility will produce around 30,000 tonnes of sustainable aggregates each year and will recover around 3,000 tonnes of metals each year throughout the life of the contract - enough to build over 6,000 Javelin planes.

The project will offer a range of benefits to the local community including opportunities for local businesses, the use of an onsite visitor centre, as well as a variety of job opportunities including apprenticeships for local people.

Javier Peiro, Project Director for UBB, said, “We are delighted to be in a position to begin construction of the facility. We aim to start work on site from summer 2016. Following construction and commissioning, our facility should be fully operational in late 2019.”

Since being awarded the contract to design, build and operate the facility at Javelin Park by Gloucestershire County Council in February 2013, UBB has worked hard to secure the necessary planning permission and Environmental Permit to begin construction.

The then Secretary of State, Eric Pickles, upheld UBB’s appeal against the decision of Gloucestershire County Council’s planning committee (under its role as the Waste Planning Authority). The appeal was heard at the public inquiry which concluded in January 2014. The project was then given the green light to proceed in June 2015 when the High Court dismissed a legal challenge lodged by Stroud District Council.

Cllr Ray Theodoulou, cabinet member responsible for waste at Gloucestershire County Council, said, “The facility will make an important change in the way that Gloucestershire deals with the household waste of its 600,000 residents, diverting more than 92 per cent of our waste from landfill and helping to substantially reduce the emission of greenhouse gases in Gloucestershire.

“We aim to reach 70 per cent recycling across the county and stop burying waste in the ground completely. As well as this new facility, Gloucestershire will also be using anaerobic digestion to treat food waste and recycle more. This all takes us a huge step closer to achieving our goal.”

Interested in providing services for the EfW?

UBB has now begun the process of procuring work packages in connection with the scheme.

Javier Peiro, Project Director for UBB, said: “We have commenced the procurement process for construction and operational work packages and would be pleased to hear from companies interested in providing services to us for the project.”

The remaining value of work to be procured is said to be in the region of £50 million and, whilst the main process packages have already been agreed with Babcock & Wilcox Vølund and LAB, a range of opportunities for the supply chain from core construction packages such as groundworks, steel and concrete works, cladding and building services, to smaller, more specific areas of work such as landscaping and furniture provision, are yet to be awarded. The project will create around 300 jobs during construction.

For further information regarding procurement opportunities, interested parties can contact the project team.