A renewable energy plant which converts waste to gas, heat and electricity could soon be coming to Southport.
Plans for the waste to energy plant, which uses household rubbish to produce gas for the National Grid, were submitted in November last year by Shankley Biogas Ltd.
The plans have been through consultation and are set to be discussed at an upcoming meeting of Sefton Council ’s planning committee, where councillors will decide whether or not to approve the plans.
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The site is expected to bring up to 30 new jobs to the area, according to planning documents submitted to Sefton Council.
Known as an energy recovery plant, the facility would use microbes to break down waste and produce natural gas within huge circular tanks full of bacteria.
The proposed location of the plant is at the site of Southport Skip hire off Crowland Street in Southport, and which had previously received planning permission for a similar facility in 2016.
If the current plans are approved, the plant, working alongside the existing skip hire business, could take up to 80,000 tonnes of waste per year from the local area to be sorted.
Organic waste, including paper, food and drink, would then be fed into the tanks and converted to biogas energy.
A combined gas, heat and energy power unit would provide the energy needed for the site, with a back up boiler in place if that at any point became non-operational.
According to the planning documents submitted to Sefton Council, for 5% of the year the National Grid could be unavailable for the gas, meaning a flare would be used to burn off excess during those times.
A report also states that carbon produced as part of the process would be captured and liquefied for storage.
The Environment Agency has commented on the proposal to state that it have no objections, as long as remediation plans are in place to deal with waste water and sewage generated by the process.
Cadent Gas ,which runs the gas infrastructure in the area, has also said it has no objection to the plans.
If Sefton Council approve the plans, the facility could be operational by the end of 2024.
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