Waste incinerator proposal for the site of power station

£330m Ratcliffe on Soar project after demolition

A REPLACEMENT power station is set to be built, burning rubbish instead of coal.

The Ratcliffe-on-Soar coal-fired power station near East Midlands Airport has been producing power for the region for over five decades but the government hopes to close all such power stations by October 2025.

A £330 million waste incinerator is proposed for the site after the power station is demolished.

This would release less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and help the UK reduce the amount of rubbish it buries or exports.

Plans for it have been submitted by Uniper, which runs the current power station, Rushcliffe Borough Council in Nottinghamshire.

The plan is for the facility to burn nonhazardous commercial waste as well as the ordinary household waste collected by councils.

A report to Rushcliffe Borough Council said: “After subtracting the power used to run the facility itself, it would have the ability to export approximately 43.4 megawatts of electricity to the local grid, a significant proportion of which would be classed as renewable.

“This is sufficient to meet the average annual domestic electricity needs of about 90,000 homes.

“While the proposed development would have a grid connection, it could also supply power to individual customers.”

The building would be just under 50 metres tall and feature a reception area, boiler hall, twin-turbine hall, offices, workshops and weighbridges.

The application said: “East Midlands Development Corporation views the site, together with the proposed HS2 station at Toton and East Midlands Airport, as the most strategically important catalysts for future economic growth in the region.

“Their vision, shared by Uniper and others, is to transform the power station into an employment site around modern industrial and manufacturing uses, underpinned by a sustainable energy theme.

“While this vision is in its early stages, the proposed development is viewed as the catalyst.”

It estimated 45 jobs would be created. Andy Read, of Uniper, said: “The Emerge Centre will be the first step towards a lower carbon future for Ratcliffesecuring jobs and investment after coal-fired generation ends.

“The facility would convert waste left over from the recycling process into usable lower-carbon energy, helping avoid the need for landfill or export outside of the UK.

“All of our communications channels will remain open during the determination process”.