Campaign groups RAIN and CHAIN speak out against the Ince Marshes incinerator

Aug 20 2009 Chester Chronicle

AN ACTION group campaigning against the £254m incinerator and waste recovery park at Ince Marshes has attacked the Government for approving the application.

If built, as much as 600,000 tonnes of UK waste could be incinerated, raising pollution concerns amongst local residents.

Hundreds of lorries will use the M56 to transport the rubbish to Peel Holding’s 95 Mega Watt power plant which will be built on 127 hectares of land.

Andrew Lorrimer of Residents Against Incineration (RAIN) provided evidence at the six-week inquiry into the incinerator.

He said: “RAIN are studying the planning inspector’s recommendation and the full details of the Government’s reasons for allowing the appeal and will decide later whether further steps can be taken to continue local opposition.

“Despite this decision it is not certain that the incinerator will ever be constructed.

“During the inquiry, Peel conceded that they were no longer expecting to secure that business and that the incinerator would be a merchant facility fed by short term contracts for waste from commercial and industrial sources.

“This means the incinerator will never have a secure source of feed material to cover the period for which they would have to commit to supply electricity to the grid.”

He added: “If they fail to deliver the contracted quantities, they would have to purchase the shortfall on the spot electricity market at very high prices.”