Consultation launched on plan for Kidderminster energy and resource park

The park would generate low carbon energy and provide a sustainable solution for dealing with plastic waste, preventing it ending up in landfill, exported abroad or in our oceans.

It includes an energy centre, which would generate low carbon energy from non-hazardous commercial and industrial waste from the local area, and a plastics recovery plant to turn plastic waste into a material that can be made into new products.

The low carbon energy produced could be used to provide a stable supply of electricity and heat to the Liberty Aluminium foundry next door on Stourport Road. This could enable Liberty to expand its operations in Kidderminster which could see an £8m investment and more than 100 new jobs.

The energy and resource park itself would create 60 jobs during construction and 25 on completion.

The scheme is also set to include an education facility to enable local schools and others to learn about what happens at the energy and resource park.

Damian Courtney, of Power Generation Midlands, said: “The energy and resource park will take waste from the local area which is destined for landfill and, rather than burying it in the ground, we’ll use it to create low carbon energy, helping to reduce the use of fossil fuels.

"We’re also excited to be providing a solution for plastic waste, which is a huge problem facing society. The technology will break the plastic down into a material which can be used to make new products, like garden furniture or decking.

“As well as investing over £30m in Kidderminster and creating 25 jobs, we hope to be able to support Liberty Aluminium to expand its business and create a further 100 new jobs by providing them with a stable source of low carbon energy.

“While we can’t hold a public exhibition to show our proposals to the community during these unprecedented times, there are plenty of other ways people can have their say and we’d encourage people to get in touch.”

Exciting

Ian Whale, divisional managing director at Liberty Aluminium Technologies said: “This is a really exciting initiative which could not only create local jobs but help increase recycling and divert waste from landfill.

"We’re keen to explore how the proposed energy and resource park could help our long term strategy to become carbon neutral by 2030 through the provision of low carbon energy. Energy is a big cost to our business and lower prices will make us more competitive, win more business and create more jobs.”

According to Government policy, the next best thing after preventing waste in the first place is recycling and re-use, followed by recovery, which includes using waste as a fuel to generate energy. The energy and resource park will take waste from the local area which has already had recyclable materials removed and would have otherwise ended up in a landfill.

The scheme could divert around 105,000 tonnes of waste from landfill every year, including 30,000 tonnes of plastic which could be turned into granules which can be used to make new products, such as garden furniture and decking.

Power Generation Midlands is a new company created to bring forward the energy and resource park, backed by an experienced team with a long track record of working in waste management in the Midlands.

The website for the proposals is powergenerationmidlands.co.uk, where people can fill in an online questionnaire, and the consultation is open until June 26. Newsletters have been sent to over 5,000 households and businesses around the site and can be requested by calling 0800 689 1095 or emailing info@powergenerationmidlands.co.uk

Following the consultation, Power Generation Midlands plans to submit a planning application to Worcestershire County Council in the summer, with a decision expected before the end of the year. If the application is successful, the project would take up to two years to build.