CHESHIRE County Council chiefs are objecting to plans by Peel Environmental Ince Ltd to build a refuse-derived fuel power station.

The proposed development on Ince Marshes is part of Peel’s controversial waste management and waste recovery park, the remainder of which was turned down last week by the county’s development regulatory committee.

The Government had asked the council’s executive for its views as a consultee on the power station plan.

And the decision by the executive and that of last Tuesday’s development regulatory committee will influence and set the stance to be taken at a public inquiry set for March next year.

The proposal stated that the power station would generate electricity and its thermal capacity would be one of the largest energy from waste plants in the UK.

Around 105 mw of electricity would be generated by conversion of heat recovered from the combustion process.

Of that, 95 mw would be available for export to the local electricity network and the national grid.

The plant is designed as a combined heat and power facility to export energy in the form of hot water or steam to industrial users on site.

It would be situated on a 7.4-hectare site and include a fired power plant, energy recovery boiler, steam turbine generator, condenser, cooling tower and chimney stack.

Executive member for environment, economy, rural affairs and waste Andrew Needham said: “There are many detailed reasons as to why we resolved to object to this planning application.

“Our objections are detailed and include the fact that the power station would be contrary to different sections of Cheshire’s 2016 Structure Plan Alternation and the Cheshire Replacement Waste Local Plan

“Work will now begin gathering information so that we can present our case to the public inquiry in three months time and we will be calling for both the waste management and waste recovery park application and the separate one for the power station to be turned down.’