A proposal to build and manage a £40 million privately funded renewable energy plant at the Ballyutoag Road on the outskirts of Belfast by Veridis Energy, a waste specialist consortium led by Belfast-based Irish Recycling Services, has been rejected by planners.
The proposed facility intended to treat commercial and industrial waste that cannot be recycled or re-used, turning it into electricity and heat. Belfast City Council rejected plans to build a similar facility in the north of the city last year.
Veridis Energy will appeal the decision. “Solving the problem of our energy dependency is not as simple as sticking up a few wind turbines,” says Alastair Nicol, engineering development manager at Veridis Energy. “In due course, we will need every source of energy to survive. Delivering energy from waste is an essential part of that.”
He points out that many European cities successfully operate energy-from-waste facilities and that the Ballyutoag Road plant is modelled on a project in Slovenia, which was funded by the European Union and achieved BAT (Best Available Techniques) status. “We believe in the value and quality of this project and that people will soon realise the pressing need for it,” he adds.