Consultation to begin on controversial energy project
Broad Energy said members of the public will have until October 26 to submit their comments on plans for the development.
The company said that the proposed ERF will use state-of-the-art technology, provided by Hitachi Zosen Inova, which has a significant track record in building such facilities.
It claims that it will be capable of processing non-hazardous, non-recyclable waste and transforming it into 12.8-megawatts of low-carbon electricity annually, which will be exported to the National Grid.
The scheme will create 300 jobs during its construction phase and will employ 30 members of permanent staff once fully operational.
But concerns have been raised by members of the local community, particularly regarding the facility’s proximity to local housing and the school.
Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the consultation is being run as a series of virtual events to avoid face-to-face contact to ensure the health and safety of members of the public and all involved in the project.
A series of public webinars and telephone surgeries will be held over the next six weeks, with leaflets sent through the post to allow people to receive all the information they need on the proposed development and to have their say in a safe and responsible manner.
Information booklets will be sent out by post to over 1,000 homes and businesses in the locality, including pre-paid envelopes for questionnaires and comments to be returned.
Freephone telephone surgeries will also be held, as well as a series of online webinars, in which the public will have opportunities to ask questions.
All the consultation documents and information will also be available to read on the project website (broadenergywales.co.uk) from Monday, along with more options to submit questions to the project team.
A drop-in consultation event is also being planned for October 15 for those members of the community who can’t engage with the consultation virtually. The session will be strictly appointment only and tight social distancing measures will be in place.
“We had originally planned to hold consultation events at public venues in July, but unfortunately the pandemic meant we were not able to do so,” said Alistair Hilditch-Brown, Chief Executive of Broad Energy.
“We know people have been waiting to see the full plans and to have their say on the project for a while and we’ve gone to great lengths to ensure that anyone who wants to can now do so in a safe and responsible manner. We have adapted our approach to ensure the health and safety of the public and those people involved in the process can be protected at all times.
“By offering so many different ways for people to get involved, including webinars, via email, calling our freephone line, writing to us through the post, and with a face-to-face appointment, we have exceeded the statutory requirements required of us to make sure the whole community can still get involved, whatever their age or background.
“Buttington Energy Recovery Facility will provide an innovative way to significantly reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill while generating low-carbon energy at the same time. It will be a significant step in the right direction towards helping Wales to become a zero-waste nation by 2050, will provide a much-needed facility for businesses in Powys and the surrounding area and will contribute a significant amount of green energy for consumption.
“We would urge the public to take time to see the plans for themselves and to engage fully with the consultation process.”
Following the consultation, Broad Energy will collate all feedback received and produce a Consultation Report which will be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate with the planning application.
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