GIB commits capital to Edinburgh energy-from-waste plant

UK Green Investment Bank (GIB) has committed £28m of debt finance to a new £142m energy-from-waste plant at Millerhill in Midlothian, near Edinburgh, Scotland.

The 14.1 MW facility is expected to treat up to 155,000 tonnes of waste every year once complete. The waste, sourced mainly from local residences, will be pre-screened in a mechanical treatment facility to remove recyclable material before entering the energy recovery process.

The plant is forecast to generate approximately 94,000 MWh of electricity annually. It is anticipated that it will avoid greenhouse gas emissions equalling 30,000 tonnes per annum, equivalent to removing 13,800 cars from the road for the lifetime of the project.

The plant will also be combined heat and power (CHP)-ready, meaning it has the potential to supply excess heat from its operations to nearby homes and businesses.

Recycling and waste management company FCC Environment (UK) has been appointed to design, build and operate the plant by Zero Waste: Edinburgh and Midlothian, a joint venture between City of Edinburgh Council and Midlothian Council. FCC already operates similar facilities in four locations in the UK.

Construction will commence immediately. The project is expected to create up to 350 jobs during this phase, with a further 40 operational jobs being created upon completion in 2019.

The Millerhill project is GIB’s eighteenth investment in Scotland. The organisation has previously backed the construction of the £74m Craigellachie combined heat and power (CHP) plant in Speyside and financed the replacement of 70,000 streetlights in Glasgow with lower-energy, lower-cost alternatives through a Green Loan.

Image: impression of the facility (FCC Environment)