The North Lincolnshire Green Energy Park application was approved yesterday (13 March 2025) by the secretary of state for energy security and net zero.
The approval will see an Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) constructed to convert Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) to generate a maximum of 95 Mega Watts of electrical output (MWe) and/or 380 Mega Watts of thermal output (MWt).
The site will provide power, heat and steam to the Flixborough Wharf on the River Trent.
The proposal for the site included plans for battery storage, hydrogen production from the electrolysis of water, hydrogen storage, heat and steam storage.
It also included heat-treatment of bottom and fly ash, concrete block manufacturing, carbon dioxide capture and utilisation and an extended district heat network of 5km, power and gas network to service the nearby proposed housing development.
The application was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate on 31 May 2022 and accepted for examination on 27 June 2022.
Opposition to the incinerator
Local communities and stakeholders were given the opportunity to comment on the proposals during a six-month examination period.
Following this, the Examining Authority gave its recommendations to the secretary of state on 15 August 2023. The body said that it “gave full consideration” to all local views beforehand.
Shlomo Dowen, the national coordinator of the UK Without Incineration Network (UKWIN), said: “This is a disappointing decision that benefits no one. The two expert planning inspectors appointed by the secretary of state agreed with the evidence that this facility is not needed and would contribute to a national overcapacity in waste incineration.
“By overriding their recommendation and granting planning permission for yet more incineration capacity, the government risks setting investors up to fail. The secretary of state himself acknowledges the uncertainty around assessing waste availability, effectively placing the burden on financiers to determine if the new capacity is justified. Investors must exercise extreme caution before committing to new incineration projects that might ultimately become stranded assets.”
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