Successful first year reported for Deeside’s £800m incinerator despite Covid-19 pandemic

An £800m incinerator is said to have enjoyed a successful first year of operation, despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Parc Adfer waste-to-energy facility at Deeside Industrial Park, Flintshire, started running at full capacity in December 2019.

The unit, operated by Wheelabrator Technologies, has since taken in around 550 truckloads of non-recyclable waste per month.

The amount of rubbish delivered by five of the six local authorities across north Wales increased significantly during the summer months last year due to people spending more time at home.

However, the facility is said to have performed well over the 12-month period, according to a report to representatives of the councils involved, with only Wrexham not included.

Steffan Owen, regional contract manager, for the project, said: “Whilst Covid has placed pressure on Parc Adfer, the protocols and processes put in place on site have ensured that the site has remained fully operational throughout the Covid pandemic to treat partner authority waste.

“Waste deliveries have continued to site with no significant or recurring issues, with partner authority waste deliveries given priority over third party waste on arrival on site.

“The plant is also performing very well in terms of its efficiency etc. with emissions well below permitted levels.”

The report shows the facility saw a reduction in rubbish during the first national lockdown last year, during which it processed around 8,000 tonnes a month.

Between July and September, that figure had risen to approximately 10,000, with the incinerator having the capacity to handle up to 200,000 tonnes of waste a year.

Mr Owen said: “Tonnages fell and have stabilised into the autumn and winter, however appear to have remained at level higher than pre-covid, even with tighter restrictions coming back into force.

“This has meant that, overall, for the year to date the authorities have in general seen higher household waste tonnages in 2020/21 than the previous year.

“This is thought to be a result of more people working from home and generally spending more time at home due to Covid restrictions.”

Parc Adfer closed for a period of two weeks in September as part of a planned annual maintenance shutdown.

Rubbish delivered during that period was stored in a bunker at the site, but around 1,000 tonnes had to be sent to another waste-to-energy plant due to the high volume received.

Mr Owen added: “The shutdown was carried out successfully with no significant issues experienced on site and completed within the timetable.

“There was no disruption to authority waste acceptance.”

The report will be discussed by members of the North Wales Residual Waste Treatment Project Joint Committee at a meeting on Friday (January 29, 2021).

Liam Randall – Local Democracy Reporter (more here).