Councillors were warned they could be building a “pipeline to nowhere” after they gave the go-ahead for a full business case into an 800-home heating scheme in Torry.
The energy for the heat network would be generated by the controversial incinerator plant which was given planning permission last year.
In a report to the infrastructure committee yesterday, members heard Torry is a community of 10,000 people with a high density of council-owned houses and where high levels of fuel poverty are evident.
But representatives of Torry Community Council urged them not to proceed with the scheme as they argued enough residents would not want the power from the contentious source and that bills would not be reduced as expected.
The community council’s Betty Lyon said: “The public have the choice of who provides their energy but this would leave the people of Torry with no choice.
“If the heat from the incinerator was so cheap and green the West End would be clamouring for it.
“But they’re not because this isn’t cheap heat for anyone.”
But Torry and Ferryhill councillor Alan Donnelly said that he was “very keen on combating fuel poverty” and supported the business case.
It was agreed that the business case would be prepared.
The £150million East Tullos incinerator aims to reduce the carbon footprint of the local authority, in advance of tough Scottish Government regulations due to be imposed by 2021.
Work is scheduled to begin at the site in January 2019.