Northwich waste treatment plant consultation ends

THIS week sees the end of the first round of public consultation for a bioresource facility proposal for Lostock Works in Northwich.

REnescience Northwich will recover resources from waste and generate renewable electricity through treatment with enzymes, mechanical sorting and anaerobic digestion.

Danish renewable energy company DONG Energy says it will employ  24 full-time staff to operate the plant, whilst constructing and maintaining the facility will also create local jobs.

It says that REnescience is capable of a higher capture rate of organic materials than many other technologies and can help to achieve higher recycling rates, reducing the need for other treatment and disposal. 

The facility does not involve incineration and, depending on the composition of the waste, it almost completely eliminates the need for any landfill. 

In addition to the materials for recycling, the plant will produce biogas and generate approximately 5MW of renewable electricity.

The six-week consultation started in early July with a series of public exhibitions held in Lostock Gralam and Rudheath.  A further round of exhibitions will take place in early September to explain how DONG Energy has responded to the comments received.