THE ENVIRONMENT Agency is holding a public consultation on an environmental permit application to operate a waste incinerator near Kingmoor Park Industrial Estate, Carlisle.
Fortum Carlisle has applied for permission to burn up to 274,000 tonnes a year of Refuse Derived Fuel to produce electricity and heat, which will be used by local businesses as well as being fed into the local grid.
Refuse derived fuel is produced from domestic and business waste, including biodegradable material and plastics, where non-combustible materials such as glass and metals have been removed.
John Neville, Area Environment Manager at the Environment Agency, commented on the announcement: “Our officers have the specialist knowledge and skills that are required to regulate waste facilities and minimise the impact of these sites on people and the environment.
“We do not permit activities that pose an unacceptable risk.
“We will now assess the proposals to ensure they meet our strict requirements and we welcome comments from the public and interested groups on local environmental factors that people feel are important.”
Information received during the consultation will be used to help determine the application as part of an assessment of the proposed operation.
A permit will only be issued if the operator demonstrates that it meets all legal requirements of the Environment Permitting Regulations and that the facility will be operated in a way that provides a high level of protection of the environment and human health.
Fortum Carlisle Limited is a subsidiary of Fortum, a Finnish energy company, which mainly focuses on the Nordic and Baltic countries, as well as Poland, Russia and India.
Partly owned by the Finnish state, Fortum operates a number of power plants, including combined heat and power plants, hydroelectric and nuclear power plants, and offers waste services.
