Waste plant needs £1.5m investment

The facility — where much of the city’s rubbish is incinerated — is run by Dundee Energy Recycling Ltd (DERL), a company which is fully owned by the local authority.

This time last year it emerged the plant had made a profit of more than £1m in 2014.

But the Tele has learned that it’s set to be transferred from next summer to a private operator, MVV Environment, which is based in London.

And MVV has requested that £1.5m of public cash is spent on “essential” work on the plant before the transfer goes through.

The facility has previously had millions of pounds ploughed into it, including after a major fire which put it out of action for several months in 2012-13. Councillors on the policy and resources committee will be asked to approve the latest spend tonight.

They will be told that, even if the transfer to MVV doesn’t go ahead, the work must still be done to keep the plant running.

More than £2m of other works will be funded by MVV if the plant transfers next summer.

A city council source told the Tele: “This plant is a necessity for the future of Dundee’s residual waste strategy.

“The future of waste in the Tayside area depends on Dundee having this plant, which has been dogged with problems over the years including fires and breakdowns outwith anyone’s control.

“Dundee City Council has had to bear the brunt of the cost with millions being ploughed in at the expense of Dundee taxpayers since the partner company walked away.

“Having said that, the future of the plant must be secured with new legislation including bigger penalties for local authorities using landfill sites.”

The move comes after it was revealed earlier this year that the council needed to find £28m of savings over two years.

Plans have previously been revealed for a new £100m incinerator next to the existing plant.

The new plant, which will burn biodegradable waste, is expected to create 20 permanent jobs, support 70 indirectly and another 300 during the construction phase.

CASH-strapped Dundee City Council could be forced to fork out £1.5 million to ensure Dundee’s waste plant at Baldovie can continue operating.

EMERGENCY services attended a two-car crash in Tayside. The incident took place at the junction of Fairies Road and Viewlands Road West in Perth at around 11am yesterday. Two ambulances, three police cars, and two fire appliances were at the scene.

The Baldovie plant