Plans submitted for controversial waste incinerator for Portland

A planning application has been submitted for a waste incinerator for Portland that would create enough low carbon energy to power 30,000 homes.

Powerfuel Portland has now submitted their plans to Dorset Council which will be validated and then opened up to a period of public consultation.

The facility could create around 300 construction jobs, and 30 direct and around 60 indirect jobs for the area.

Steve McNab, Director, Powerfuel, said:

“This application is the result of months of work to deliver a sustainable solution to Dorset’s and the UK’s waste problem. There is major under-capacity in the UK for ERFs, with 2.7 million tonnes of waste exported to the EU every year and 14.5 million tonnes still being sent to landfill.

“All of Dorset’s residual waste (after recycling) is currently sent out of the county and/or country for processing. The Portland ERF will take up to 202,000 tonnes per annum of refuse derived fuel (RDF) and use it to generate low carbon energy, reducing the need to use fossil fuels such as coal and gas.

“In the era of climate emergency, we need to manage our waste better and increase our use of low carbon sources to generate electricity. We are really proud that Powerfuel Portland will be a net zero carbon project as any carbon produced from the process will be offset.”

'Opposition to the proposals'

The controversial energy recovery facility has been met with local opposition.

A petition has been started which claims the incinerator will be a 'massive eyesore', and will affect local ecology and human health, as well as increase congestion along Portland Beach Road.

Powerfuel says while it appreciates that there have been some concerns about the project raised by local residents, there has also been some misinformation about the ERF.

The planning application clarifies that:

Merchant facilities such as the proposed ERF do not reduce recycling rates

The maximum increase in traffic to service the ERF amounts to just 0.4% of current daily traffic movements

The heat from the ERF will be available for local facilities and community venues for heating

The ERF will also be able to provide shore power to ships docked at Portland Port. This will alleviate the need for ships to burn large volumes of diesel when docked to keep their generators running, improving the air quality and reducing the use of fossil fuels.

Giles Frampton, Director, Powerfuel, said:

"There are over 40 similar ERFs already operating safely in the UK, of which the Portland ERF would be one of the new generation, most advanced facilities. All ERFs operate under strict regulations and are constantly monitored to ensure there is no negative impact on health or the environment.

“During our pre-application consultation with local residents there was some unease about the emissions levels from the facility’s stack. To further limit the potential that emissions from the ERF could have any measurable impact on air quality or local ecology, Powerfuel has increased the height of the stack to improve the emission dispersion.

"We have also gone to great lengths to limit any visual impact from the facility and our revised architectural designs show the facility will be in-keeping with its surroundings."