A new power station that will be fuelled by waste has been announced for Cheshire.

The proposed plant has the capacity to potentially take waste from Manchester, Merseyside, Halton, Cheshire and Warrington, which would otherwise have gone to landfill.

The decision by Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks allows INEOS Chlor Ltd to construct an energy from waste combined heat and power (CHP) station with a capacity of 100 MW, at Runcorn, Cheshire. He has also given deemed planning permission for the development.

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As well as producing energy from waste, this proposal demonstrates the Government's continuing commitment to promote CHP. The usable heat and electricity produced from the power station will be utilised at the INEOS Runcorn Site, a major chemicals manufacturing complex and one of the largest energy users in the UK.

Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks said: "It's important that we move forward in tackling the UK's waste problem. The proposed plant will make use of local waste for the production of energy rather than contributing to the UK's landfill.

"While acknowledging that this proposal was controversial locally, this approval takes into account the concerns that were raised. The key concern of impact on public health will be properly addressed through planning conditions at the construction stage and when the station is operational, through the environmental permitting regime regulated by the Environment Agency."

(JM)