Plans for a £240 million waste treatment site to the north of Belfast have been proposed by the Becon Consortium.
The Becon Consortium plans to build a 14MW energy from waste facility and mechanical biological plant at Mallusk just outside of Belfast.
It will build the facilities on behalf of arc21, which is the umbrella waste body for 11 councils in the east of Northern Ireland, subject to the completion of a competitive procurement process.
The Becon Consortium is backed by E.ON Energy from Waste, which operates 19 energy from waste facilities in Germany, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.
arc21 policy and operations director Ricky Burnett said: “The need to ensure we meet targets and avoid potentially heavy fines has been well documented.
“It is important to build on the good progress we have made over the last decade in utilising waste as a resource. We must continue to strive towards improving our recycling rates and minimising the amount of material sent to landfill.”
Becon Consortium project director Ian Smith said: “This is a very exciting project which will see Northern Ireland catch up with the rest of Europe in ensuring we view waste as a valuable resource.
“Not only will it address the European imperative to divert our waste from landfill, but this project will ensure we extract the maximum value from the remaining non-recyclable black bin waste to generate much needed renewable and sustainable energy.
“We believe we are proposing the best available technology solution in the most suitable location to manage arc21’s waste in a more environmentally responsible and sustainable way. In doing so, we will maximise the value from waste using proven technology and processes that will be regulated by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency in compliance with strict EU permits.”
