A major step has been taken in the battle to build a controversial incinerator project which would process waste from the north-east’s three councils.
Aberdeenshire Council has agreed to partner up with Aberdeen City and Moray councils to create a £180million Energy From Waste (EFW) facility at East Tullos in the Granite City.
This week, the local authority agreed to sign up to the pre-procurement inter authority agreement as part of the project.
This will allow the three councils to begin detailing the necessary feasibility work required to inform future decisions of the EFW scheme.
The plant is estimated to cost £180million, of which Aberdeenshire Council will provide between £80million and £85million.
The project would be a partnership between Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and Moray councils and would involve all three region’s waste being processed at the site at East Tullos.
Officials say it will change the way waste is dealt with across the north-east as an alternative to landfills.
Aberdeenshire Council’s policy and resources committee agreed to approve the start-up costs of the project and move forward with pre-feasibility investigation work at a cost of £250,000 earlier this month.
Councillor Jiim Gifford said: “This came through policy and resources, we agreed it after some debate.
“Some of that debate was about whether this was the best option. I feel on the whole this will show this is the best option.”
Liberal Democrat councillor Peter Argyle said the entire region needs to change the way it handles waste.
“It is clear we have to change the way we do things,” he said.
“I am absolutely in agreement we should move onto the next stage and get this moving.”
Head of roads and landscape services, Philip McKay, agreed.
“We have been looking at various options to deal with residual waste. In regards to the scale of the plan this suggests a joint approach with our neighbours,” he said.
The councils will now begin developing feasibility information as they get closer to making an informed decision on whether to proceed with the plant.
Councillor Paul Johnston is among those who have expressed concerns about the scheme – arguing that Aberdeenshire Council has not considered the full risks of the incinerator, nor considered alternatives.
The Torry Community Council in Aberdeen has also written to Aberdeen City Council’s chief executive, Angela Scott, to declare the scheme “not in the interests of Torry”.
