Swindon plant decommissioned as new contract agreed

The Swindon plant originally opened in 2014

Swindon's solid recovered fuel plant worth £8m is to be decommissioned.

It comes after a new £58m waste contract was agreed between Swindon Borough Council and Viridor.

By 1 April the plant will become a Waste Transfer Station which will continue to receive Swindon's household waste.

The current process involves the town's waste being dried and converted into "solid recovered fuel" (SRF).

The contract went up for tender in August 2021, with the eight-year contract valued between £45-60m.

Michael French, Viridor's Chief Commercial Officer said: "We have been able to offer a robust and flexible solution for the council,"

"This contract will contribute to Viridor's strategy of growing our core areas of our business, including our Energy Recovery and Polymers Reprocessing, while pushing ahead with our plans to be net-zero by 2040."

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said the work is currently carried out by a council-owned company, Public Power Solutions.

A Public Power Solutions spokesperson said: "While PPS is obviously disappointed not to have been awarded the waste disposal contract, we will work with Viridor to ensure that the transition is as smooth as possible.

The SRF plant which originally opened in 2014, is one of the only of its kind in the country and is now powered by an adjacent solar farm.