The 300,000 tonne-a-year capacity Ardley facility which began receiving waste in June – will initially treat 150,000 tonnes of residual municipal waste from Oxfordshire county council per annum.
The combined heat and power (CHP) enabled plant is capable of generating 25MW of electricity to the Grid, which is enough to power more than 38,000 households.
Viridor said that the first export of electricity to the Grid was a significant advance in the commissioning process, and one of the final steps before the plant becomes fully operational in autumn 2014.
Viridor overcame numerous planning hurdles before it was given the green light from communities secretary Eric Pickles to begin construction on the facility in 2011 after an original application was rejected by the county councils planning committee in October 2009.
Rod Lerwell, general manager at the Ardley facility, said: Im so proud to see the facility starting to come to life in these final stages. Were close to completion and I look forward to taking over from all the teams who have worked in partnership to bring us to this point.
Well continue with the hard work to ensure that our best-in-class facility provides a great service to the people of Oxfordshire.
Sustainable
County councillor David Nimmo Smith, cabinet member for environment, added: This is excellent news and represents another step towards a more sustainable future for waste in Oxfordshire.
Oxfordshire county council, its partners at the district councils and with the valuable support of residents, has done a massive amount of work to reduce household waste and maximise recycling and composting.
It is therefore very pleasing to know that what little does go to waste will actually provide power and not go into unsustainable landfill.
The Ardley facility is part of a 25-year deal with Oxfordshire county council signed in March 2011 (see letsrecycle.com story).
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