Fife waste plant powers ahead

A project to build an energyfrom-waste facility in Fife is pushing ahead in a move that will generate about 40 jobs once it is up and running.

Brockwell Energy said it was now in advanced negotiations to build its 220,000- ton ne facility at Westfield, near Kinglassie.

Full planning permission was obtained earlier this year and the firm is recruiting key staff to assist the construction and management of the plant.

During the construction process, the peak number of employees engaged in the project will top 400, while during normal operations the plant will deliver some 40 long-term jobs to the local community.

Construction of the facili - ty will commence in March, with commercial operations scheduled to begin in 2023. When completed, Westfield – on the site of an open cast coal mine that closed in 1994 – will provide cheap renewable heat and power to attract other industrial operators to invest in the area.

Alex Lambie, chief executive of Edinburgh-based Bro ck - well, said :“It really is a very exciting time for the company.

“We believe Westfield will provide a world-class and cost- efficient residual waste disposal option for Fife Council – and many other Scottish local authorities who have not yet secured such a disposal route for their waste.”

The firm is behind a similar energy-from-waste facility in Grange mouth, where construction began in January.

Brock well Energy has two other business divisions. One develops more than 400 megawatts of wind and 20 megawatts of solar power while the second is targeting in excess of 400 megawatts of gas projects as back-up support for the renewables business.

Formed in 2017, Brockwell Energy has raised investment capital to develop an £800 million portfolio of en ergy projects, predominantly in Scotland on and around former coal mining sites.