I am delighted to officially announce this formal link up with three neighbouring authorities by signing this money saving contract. For the first time Warwickshire County Council will be paid for producing electricity.
Warwickshire County Councillor Alan Cockburn Portfolio Holder for Environment and Economy
Warwickshire County Council has signed a landmark partnership contract which will save taxpayers across four local authorities more than £400 million over 25 years by converting waste to energy.
Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Environment and Economy Cllr Alan Cockburn joined colleagues from Staffordshire, Sandwell and Walsall to put his name to the historic document which aims to achieve the target of sending zero waste to landfill by 2020.
The council partners have formally linked up to sign an official agreement to support a Staffordshire County Council contract which will see a multi-million pound investment by Veolia Environmental Services (UK) in a plant to convert waste into electricity.
The company will run the energy from waste plant at Four Ashes in Staffordshire as part of a 25 year Private Finance Initiative (PFI). The partnership approach of the project played a key part in securing £122.4 million in funding from the Government.
It is estimated that the plant will save Warwickshire taxpayers £65 million over the length of the contract compared to current costs. Its processing costs are exempt from Landfill Tax which is set to rise to £80 per tonne by 2014.
Cllr Cockburn said: “I am delighted to officially announce this formal link up with three neighbouring authorities by signing this money saving contract. For the first time Warwickshire County Council will be paid for producing electricity.
“By working closely with our partners and sharing this pioneering waste to resource facility we will all be able to benefit. This contract means delivering better value for money for Warwickshire residents and will further protect the environment by diverting waste away from landfill which produces large quantities of dangerous greenhouse gases.
“This type of facility is a safe, efficient and modern way of treating waste that cannot be reused, recycled or composted. It also has the additional benefits of generating energy in the form of electricity and moving us towards our target of sending zero waste to landfill.”
Staffordshire County Council Vice-Chairman Frank Lewis added: “By working together we can deliver even greater saving for the tax payer across four counties. It is great to have Warwickshire on board.”
The plant will heat water into steam which is used to generate enough power for more than 32,000 homes.
The technology is already used in many cities across Europe, including Paris and Vienna.
The Four Ashes plant is scheduled to be in operation by Autumn 2013.