Dive Brief:
- Wheelabrator Technologies has announced financial close on £180 million in financing (approx. $222.7 million USD) for its Parc Adfer waste-to-energy facility in Flintshire, North Wales, as reported by Waste360.
- The facility will have capacity for up to 220,000 tons of material per year which it will process to generate a net 16.6 MW of power. Heat or steam will also be produced for use in the region.
- Full construction will begin in 2017 and the facility will employ about 35 people full-time once it begins operating in 2019.
Dive Insight:
Back in 2014, Wheelabrator was chosen to build and operate the facility for 25 years in a public-private partnership with five local authorities that comprise the North Wales Residual Waste Treatment Project. The authorities have long-term goals for high diversion rates and will provide the majority of material to the facility, with the remainder coming from commercial sources.
This will be Wheelabrator's third facility in the U.K. Earlier this year, financial close was also announced on the nearly $450 million Kemsley facility in Kent, U.K. These deals are big steps forward for the company after it was divested from Waste Management in 2014 and has been less successful with some recent U.S. contracts.
Recently released 2015 data shows that Wales' diversion rate of 55.8% was the highest in the U.K. Unlike in some parts of the U.S. where landfills are a less expensive option, energy recovery is a key part of diversion goals in many European countries. Covanta has also been investing in new facilities overseas and it will likely remain easier for waste-to-energy companies to build new greenfield projects there for the foreseeable future.
