A planned Aberdeen waste incinerator would be built on the same city site even if the council backed out of the deal, councillors heard yesterday.
The controversial £150 million green energy from waste plant is being built in the city’s East Tullos.
In a three-council deal, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray will burn around 150,000 tonnes of unrecyclable waste annually at the site from when completed.
The plant is in a part a response to tough Scottish Government landfill targets for household waste.
They were due to be introduced in 2021, though they have since been put back to 2025.
In campaigning for the recent Torry and Ferryhill by-election, some candidates have said they would stop construction if elected.
But at yesterday’s quarterly accounts meeting of the city council, Aberdeen Labour councillor Ross Grant queried if the terms of the contract allowed this.
He said: “If the city council, as a lead partner, were to withdraw for whatever reason would the facility still be placed on the same site, even without city council involvement?”
Council legal officer Jonathan Bellford said: “The short answer is yes.
“The inter-authority agreement allows a range of conditions to apply which would mean Aberdeenshire and Moray councils could continue the project at the site.”
