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Q1. Why can’t we just modernise the energy from waste site in Coventry?
Q2. Where will the new facility be?
Q3. Why are you proposing Coventry as your reference site?
Q4. Why can’t we send the waste somewhere else instead of building more waste sites?
Q5. How big will the facility be and what will it look like?
Q6. Does the facility have the capacity to grow?
Q7. How long will it take to build?
Q8. What sort of technology will it use?
Q9. What is Energy from Waste (EfW)?
Q10. How much will it cost?
Q11. What is PFI?
Q12. What benefits will it bring for council tax payers?
Q13. Will jobs be lost or created for local residents during the construction of the site?
Q14. Will recycling be abandoned by local councils?
Q15. Would there be any changes to household waste collections?
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Q1. Why can’t we just modernise the energy from waste site in Coventry?
The existing energy-from-waste facility is reaching the end of its’ economic life and engineering studies have concluded that it would be better value for money to replace the Coventry EfW rather
than refurbish it.
Building a new, state of the art facility would mean we could offer improved services, look at innovative ways to treat waste, reduce carbon emissions and minimise the amount of waste going to landfill.
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Q2. Where will the new facility be?
The final location will be decided through a procurement process – which will take two and half years. Project Transform shall however, make a site adjacent to the existing facility in Coventry available to all bidders – it will be up to the bidder whether or not they use this site.
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Q3. Why are you proposing Coventry as your reference site?
We have carried out a detailed analysis of possible site locations but the Coventry site met all our selection criteria – including looking at issues such as protection of water resources, visual intrusion, traffic and access, ecology, cultural heritage and potential land use conflict. We believe London Road is a good site, it has an existing facility with excellent transport links and is well-established.
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Q4. Why can’t we send the waste somewhere else instead of building more waste sites?
Although Project Transform will make a site adjacent to the current energy-from-waste facility available to all companies bidding, this is an open procurement in which bidders can propose any
technical solution at any location. This process will ensure the widest possible range of options are considered.
However, part of the evaluation will be to determine the financial and environmental effect of transporting waste to any new facility.
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Q5. How big will the facility be and what will it look like?
The project estimates that there is a need for up to 305,000 tonnes of non recyclable (residual) waste treatment capacity required. However, although the capacity will be greater than the existing site, the actual facility will be no larger in size. A detailed design has not yet been completed but it will be presented as part of the planning application - it will be sensitive to the setting and meet environmental legislation.
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Q6. Does the facility have the capacity to grow?
The size of the facility will be set at contract award but we have no intention to increase the capacity.
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Q7. How long will it take to build?
Approximately four years.
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Q8. What sort of technology will it use?
Project Transform has based its Outline Business Case on Energy-from -Waste with Combined Heat and Power. However, we are asking all companies who wish to bid for the contract to provide their best solution on how we manage our residual (non-recyclable) waste – regardless of technology or site location.
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Q9. What is Energy from Waste (EfW)?
The combustion of waste in an EfW facility is a safe, efficient and modern way of treating waste that cannot be reused, recycled or composted. This process generates energy in the form of electricity and/or heat, reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and diverting waste away from landfill.
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Q10. How much will it cost?
This will depend on solutions submitted by bidders, but we estimate the capital cost will be around £260 million.
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Q11. What is PFI?
PFI (Private Finance Initiative) is method of obtaining financial support for public private partnerships. Private companies, (usually large construction firms) are contracted to design, build, and manage new projects. Contracts typically last for 30 years, during which time the building is leased by a public authority.
Private Finance Initiatives ensure value for money for Councils by transferring the risk of providing the services on time and on budget to the private company.
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Q12. What benefits will it bring for council tax payers?
The EU is introducing a Landfill Directive which will have the power to tax local authorities in the UK for using landfill sites. This could result in heavy penalties, therefore by providing a long term solution for treatment of residual (non recyclable) waste we can ensure that council tax payers are protected from uncertain rises in landfill costs.
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Q13. Will jobs be lost or created for local residents during the construction of the site?
Project Transform anticipates the project will run along with similar projects who have employed in excess of 200 people during construction. Once the facility is operational there is no proposal of any job losses.
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Q14. Will recycling be abandoned by local councils?
No. Project Transform is committed to recycling and composting as much as possible. We will actively promote the benefits of recycling and composting as well as increasing recycling rates in Coventry to a minimum of 50% by 2020. We also predict that with the recent introduction of blue recycling bins and with residents increased participation, we can only improve on that target.
However, even after recycling and composting has been maximised, there will still be a proportion of waste left over that cannot be recycled (residual waste), and a new facility can provide a solution for this.
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Q15. Would there be any changes to household waste collections?
No. This project will not lead to changes, but individual waste collection strategies that run separately to waste disposal may decide to make improvements.
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