Councils give green light to Aberdeen energy-from-waste plant

A partnership between Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeenshire Council and Moray Council has been agreed that will see the three authorities work together on the next steps for the building an energy-from-waste (EfW) facility in the city.

The agreement will see the three authorities work together on initial project and procurement development work on the £150 million facility which will help each comply with national regulations which come into force on 1 January 2021. The regulations will ban Scottish councils from putting any biodegradable municipal waste into landfill. Currently, in the north-east, more than half of household waste is sent to landfill.

“We can now move as partners to procure developers for the site, a milestone in a project which is potentially the solution to a problem we all face as a society – reducing our landfill waste to zero by 2021.”

Councillor Jenny Laing, Leader of Aberdeen City Council, said: “This is an important project for the north-east and it means that, with our Aberdeenshire and Moray Council partners, we can commence in securing contractors who will develop the facility.

“The Energy from Waste will complement our new recycling initiatives to create a truly circular economy and achieve our ambitious plans for a Zero Waste Aberdeen and delivering affordable heat to people in Torry.”

‘New shared solution’

Chairman of Aberdeenshire Council’s Infrastructure Services Committee, Councillor David Aitchison, said: “With planning permission already approved for this new shared solution, these latest decisions are an important step forward.

“We can now move as partners to procure developers for the site, a milestone in a project which is potentially the solution to a problem we all face as a society – reducing our landfill waste to zero by 2021.”

Councillor John Cowe, who chairs Moray Council’s Economic Development and Infrastructure Services Committee, said: “Moray Council is delighted to have reached the next key milestone in the development of the energy plant in partnership with our neighbouring authorities.

“By approving the Inter-Authority agreement for the next phase, elected members have underlined the council’s commitment to this project and ultimately to the delivery of a long-term and sustainable waste solution for the north-east of Scotland.”

200 workers will be employed in the construction of the East Tullos site and work is scheduled to begin in January 2019. The facility will employ 20 people when it becomes operational in 2021.