Incinerator ‘will meet carbon dioxide emission targets’

A council leader and campaigners say a new waste incinerator on England’s south coast will hamper efforts to cut carbon emissions in Dorset.

A development due to start construction on Portland Harbour has been given the go-ahead from the government after it was initially rejected by Dorset Council.

Council leader Nick Ireland said it would also damage the local tourism industry.

Powerfuel Portland said its plant would enable Dorset’s “non-recyclable waste to be managed locally in a more sustainable way”.

A developer has appealed against a council decision to refuse planning permission for an energy recovery facility (ERF) on an industrial site on the edge of Portland Harbour.

Dorset Council has raised concerns about the impact on the site, pollution and lorries.

Following a public inquiry in December, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said on Monday that planning permission had been granted.

Powerfuel Portland said the £150m plant would have the capacity to process up to 202,000 tonnes of waste a year and generate enough energy to power around 30,000 homes.

The incinerator stack, operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, would be 80 m (262 ft) high.

The document indicates that hazardous and clinical waste will not be incinerated.

In deciding to approve the plan, Rushanara Ali, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Building Safety and Homelessness, said she agreed with the Planning Inspectorate that the environmental impacts were within regulatory limits.

She added that it would “not have a detrimental effect on the scenery and scenic beauty or the setting of the Dorset National Landscape” and “would not have a detrimental effect” on the Jurassic Coast UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The leader of the Liberal Democrat-led council, Mr Ireland, said the decision would have “huge consequences”.

Dorset Council has set itself a net zero emissions target which in practice limits us.

“There is no requirement to generate electricity by burning garbage – there are better ways to generate electricity.

“Ultimately, burning stuff creates CO2. It creates emissions, and those emissions are going to be thrown at the top of Portland.”

He downplayed the benefits of job creation, saying the number of jobs would be “quite low.”

“But when you put that against the potential impact on the tourism industry – would you want to sit on Weymouth beach and look at a power station?

“Generally, (emissions) will move in your direction due to prevailing wind directions.”

South Dorset MP Lloyd Hatton also called for the plan to be abandoned.

The Stop Portland Waste Incinerator group, which campaigned against the plan, said the government’s decision was “beyond disappointing”.

“Here on the Jurassic Coast, England’s only natural World Heritage coastline, humanity is learning that climate change is an existential issue,” the group said in a statement.

“Burning one ton of waste emits one ton of greenhouse gases. Building an incinerator in Portland Harbor and sending the waste here makes no sense at all.”

Portland Port Authority previously said the plant was “critical to the port’s future” as it would allow docked cruise ships to be powered by shore-based electricity.

A statement issued after the government’s announcement said it “welcomes the decision” to grant planning permission.

“Portland Port will work with Powerfuel as the commercial operator on the port property, as it does with all other users, to facilitate operations and take the next steps forward,” it added.

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