Firm seeks to increase waste incinerator capacity

The Parley site already handles green waste, wood and road sweepings

An energy-from-waste firm is seeking to increase the capacity of a planned incinerator that has been granted permission in Dorset.

BCP Council agreed plans for the energy recovery facility (ERF) in Parley, near Christchurch, in 2022, despite 730 objections.

Eco Sustainable Solutions said it is in talks with BCP about applying to increase the agreed capacity from 60,000 tonnes to 105,000 tonnes of waste a year.

The firm said it hoped to make an announcement about the project in the new year.

A spokesperson said: "We have been working with BCP Council to fulfil planning conditions.

"We have also been working with our technology partner regarding minor design amendments to the ERF and exploring the potential to process a larger amount of waste per annum."

Eco also said work had commenced on a £15.6m anaerobic digester (AD) on the same site that would convert local food waste into biogas and fertiliser.

The firm said it expected the AD plant to be fully operational by 2026, create five new jobs and supply the equivalent of 5,300 medium-sized homes.

Anaerobic digestion uses microorganisms to break down organic matter in the absence of oxygen, producing biogas and digestate, which can be used to make fertiliser.

The firm said the AD plant would be capable of handling more than 50,000 tonnes of food waste a year, producing around 60GWhs (Gigawatt hours) of biomethane.

Existing operations at the Parley site, in Chapel Lane, already include green waste composting, waste wood processing, road sweepings recycling and a biomass combined heat-and-power plant.