Plans unveiled for second plant powered by waste

The blueprints for the multi-fuel power station to generate 90MW is earmarked for the site in Ferrybridge where an initial £300m facility is already being built and is due to be operational in 2015. While the firm behind the schemes, Multi-fuel Energy Limited (MEL), admitted plans for the second station are “at a very early stage”, it is anticipated it would be of a similar scale to the facility under construction.

Concerns have been voiced by campaigners over whether there is enough demand for a wave of waste incinerators being built nationwide. But MEL’s managing director, Mark McCarthy, was adamant both multi-fuel power stations at Ferrybridge are needed.

He said: “The development of our first multi-fuel project at Ferrybridge is progressing very well and the level of interest from potential fuel suppliers has demonstrated that there is demand in the market for further waste-derived generating facilities. It is for this reason that we are looking at a second multi-fuel project in this ideal location.”

Consultations will be held in the coming weeks, with exhibitions about the proposed project.