Planned £400m waste energy plant to create 650 jobs

The planned development of a £400m energy-from-waste generating station in Wales could create up to 650 construction jobs, according to developers Covanta Energy.

The plant, which also aims to employ 65 people permanently, would take approximately 750,000 tonnes of non-recyclable household and business waste.

The jobs will be created from the building of the plant known as Brig y Cwm, if it is successfully approved by the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC).

The IPC – the independent body that examines applications for nationally significant projects ranging from railways to power stations – have a month to decide on the plan.

The latest proposals follow plans for the 120m Enviroparks waste-to-energy plant at Hirwaun, Rhondda Cynon Taf, and the Viridor plant being given the go-ahead at Splott in Cardiff.

Developers, have already held consultation days and reduced the size of the proposed site – west of Fochriw and next to the Ffos-y-Fran opencast mine site.

They believe the energy-from-waste site will generate enough energy to power all the homes in Merthyr Tydfil and Caerphilly areas in Wales.

But Friends of the Earth planning campaigner Mike Birkin said: “Because incineration creates far fewer jobs than recycling it would have an impact on local employment too.

“The government must not allow the new fast-track planning systems to dump this waste incinerator on the people of Merthyr.”