Once operational in 2016, the facility for Veolia Environmental Services, will process up to 214,000 tonnes of black bin waste a year that would otherwise go to landfill, saving an estimated £200m for the city council over 25 years. It will help the city to achieve its long-term target of recycling more than 60% of its waste. Energy generated by the processes used at the facility will be enough to power around 20,000 homes.
Construction of the incinerator is a core part of a £460m private finance initiative deal that Veolia signed with the council last year.
Clugston is working in conjunction with its French process partner, CNIM. The main building will be 42m high, 125m long and 35m wide. In keeping with the environmental purpose of the plant, it will be constructed with a timber frame. The external envelope will consist of a glazed structure incorporating a living green wall covered in plants – this will be the largest of its kind in Europe, Clugston said.
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Clugston Construction managing director Steve Radcliffe said: “This will be our sixth project in the waste reduction and energy market in recent years and we have seen first-hand how they benefit the local economy. The construction sector has suffered significantly in recent years and investment in schemes such as this has been instrumental in retaining and creating job opportunities in the industry.”
Councillor Mark Dobson, Leeds City Council’s executive member for the environment said: “Following many years of intense hard work, the real physical graft is beginning and we’re really looking forward to being able to see the fruits of these efforts literally coming out of the ground.”
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