Over 300 jobs to be created after Biffa secures deal for Energy from Waste facility

How the new plant will look

Waste management firm Biffa has signed a deal to bring forward a £295m Energy from Waste (EfW) facility that will create 300 jobs in Leicestershire.

Biffa will build the facility at Newhurst after securing a funding deal alongside its joint venture partners, Covanta Holding Corporation and Macquarie’s Green Investment Group.

The site will provide 350,000 tonnes of annual treatment capacity for non-recyclable waste and will also generate up to 42 megawatts of electricity, enough to power around 80,000 homes. It is expected to start operations in 2023.

Over 300 jobs will be created during the construction period, which Biffa says will begin shortly.

Biffa will provide 70 per cent of the fuel for the facility each year from its existing local waste collection services, while Covanta will supply operations and maintenance services.

The facility will be built by Hitachi Zosen Innova, a global leader in EfW engineering and construction under a turnkey engineering, procurement and construction contract. After completion, Biffa will own 50 per cent of it.

Michael Topham, Biffa chief executive, said: “Biffa has a leading role to play in developing the recycling and energy from waste facilities that the UK needs if it is to become a low-carbon, resource-efficient economy. Reaching this milestone at the Newhurst facility, along with our ambitious investments in recycling, are vital steps in the delivery of our strategic investment plans. We look forward to working with our partners to further reduce the UK’s reliance on landfill or export for managing its non-recyclable waste.”

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