Plans for new £200m gasification plant in Deeside backed for approval

Liam Randall, local democracy reporter

Plans to create a new £200m facility in Flintshire to turn non-recyclable waste into energy have been backed for approval.

An application to build an advanced gasification plant on Deeside Industrial Park is set to be considered by councillors next week.

The proposals would result in up to 80,000 tonnes of what is known as refuse derived fuel being treated at the former Gaz De France power station site each year.

The aim is to produce 9.9 megawatts of electricity, most of which will be used to power the wider waste facility off Weighbridge Road, with some also fuelling the nearby Toyota factory.

Concerns have been raised by one community leader that the scheme put forward by Logik WTE Ltd and Eqtec Plc could cause pollution.

Connah’s Quay South councillor Ian Smith claimed the area where the plant will be located was “already quite heavily polluted”.

However, Flintshire Council’s chief planning officer has recommended permission should be granted as he said it would not produce a significant amount of emissions.

It follows approval previously being given for a waste management facility at the site in 2018.

In a report, Andrew Farrow said: “The proposed development would enable the beneficial reuse of land which is currently redundant.

“If planning permission was refused it is considered unlikely that there would be a more suitable site elsewhere which would cause less harm because the proposal site itself is adjacent to its fuel source.

“There would be economic benefit during both the construction phase and the operational phase and whilst the number of jobs provided would be lower than other industrial uses the vacancy rate in this area is comparatively high.”

‘Waste management capacity’

It added: “The need for the facility in terms of North Wales waste management capacity is not compelling and in the event that the facility ceases operating it is considered undesirable to leave redundant buildings and plant within the site.

“However, planning permission has already been granted for the main waste management facility, and this represents a different means of generating the power for the process than was originally proposed.

“The process is inherently cleaner than traditional energy from waste incineration and produces very little emissions other than the normal gases of combustion such as carbon dioxide and water once it has been burnt in the generating turbine or piped to a customer for heating.”

Mr Farrow recommended permission should be granted subject to a time limit being imposed which would require the facility to stop operating by 2050.

It follows a Welsh Government strategy being published with a goal of ensuring no waste is sent to landfill or incinerators by that date.

The proposals will be discussed by planning committee members at a meeting on Wednesday (October 27, 2021).