Plans for new Ford energy recovery facility submitted

Grundon Waste Management and Viridor have lodged a planning application to West Sussex County Council for a state-of-the-art energy recovery facility (ERF) and waste sorting and transfer facility (WSTF) at Ford Circular Technology Park (CTP).

These would be next to Viridor’s existing materials recycling facility where the county’s household recycling is sorted and processed.

The ERF would treat 275,000 tonnes of waste a year, with a further 20,000 tonnes handled at the WSTF.

The new facilities would produce 28MW, enough electricity to power around 68,000 homes and help divert waste from landfill.

If approved, they will provide 80 permanent jobs, creating 56 new jobs and safeguarding the existing 24 jobs currently at Ford CTP.

The project will also create apprenticeship, graduate and management training scheme opportunities.

Philip Atkinson, Ford Energy from Waste director, said: “Today’s submission is a key milestone for us and a crucial step towards delivering this important scheme.

“Finding ways to manage the waste we produce in a more sustainable way is vital. This combined development will make a valuable contribution to both resource and energy efficiency.

“It will also close a local capacity gap which has – until now – meant waste produced locally either goes to landfill or travels a great distance for processing – sometimes overseas. Managing this waste locally is not only a more effective way of treating waste but allows us to significantly reduce carbon emissions and put non-recyclable waste to work to generate energy.

“Grundon has operated a waste transfer station on this site since 2015 and Viridor has operated a materials recycling facility nearby on behalf of West Sussex County Council since 2009. We believe the site itself is well located and ready for development. We would like to thank everyone that took part in the consultation and we look forward to the next stage of the process.”

Grundon and Viridor held a public consultation on the proposals for the two facilities in March and April 2020 and used the feedback to help finalise the application.

West Sussex County Council will now carry out its own statutory consultation, providing a further opportunity for the public to comment on the plans.

The full planning application will be available to view on West Sussex County Council’s website.

More information about the proposals for Ford CTP is available online.

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