£7m waste processing site gets green light from planners
A £7m waste processing facility near Ellesmere Port has been given the go ahead by planners.
Peel Environmental – part of Peel L&P – and Waste2Tricity received planning permission from Cheshire West and Chester Council for the UK’s first waste plastic to hydrogen facility.
The scheme will be built at the 54-hectare Protos site near Ellesmere Port.
The development will see 14 full time permanent jobs created with over 100 workers involved in the construction.
The plant will treat up to 35 tonnes of unrecyclable plastics a day and using it to create a local source of hydrogen.
The hydrogen could then be used as a clean fuel for buses, heavy goods vehicles and cars, helping to reduce air pollution and improve air quality on local roads.
The facility would also generate electricity which could be provided to commercial users via a microgrid at Protos.
Myles Kitcher, Managing Director at Peel Environmental – part of Peel L&P – said: “The creation of this UK-first facility makes great strides to solve two important issues; the huge amount of waste plastic produced, and the over-reliance on fossil fuels for energy.
“The technology has been proven at Thornton Science Park and will now be commercialised at Protos, before being rolled out across the UK.
“This is hugely significant for Cheshire and the wider region, demonstrating how we’re rising to the challenge of being the UK’s first low carbon industrial cluster and setting a standard for others to follow.”
John Hall, Waste2Tricity said: “Securing consent for our first facility in the UK is a huge step forward and we’re delighted that Cheshire West & Chester Council has got behind the project. Working with Peel Environmental, we have plans to roll out the technology across the UK.”
Work is expected to start in the autumn with the facility due to be operational next year.
Last year it was announced that Peel Environmental had signed a Collaboration Agreement with Waste2Tricity and PowerHouse Energy to develop a total of 11 waste plastic to hydrogen facilities across the UK, representing an investment of £130 million.
