Project W2R (Waste to Resources) Residual Waste Treatment Facility

Private Finance Initiative - Outline Business Case

The Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy for Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent published in May 2007 demonstrates the need for the development of a municipal waste treatment facility in the South of the County to achieve the objective of Zero Waste to Landfill by 2020.

To that end, Staffordshire County Council is proposing to implement Project W2R (Waste to Resources) comprising the development of the treatment solution that will substantially contribute to the delivery of sustainable waste management in the County, and help further the same objectives in the neighbouring Authorities of Warwickshire and Walsall.

Project W2R constitutes the design, construction and operation, of a 300,000 tpa Energy from Waste Plant (EfW) to convert residual waste from the Authorities of Staffordshire (lead), Warwickshire and Walsall, primarily into electricity.

The Council has undertaken extensive work to identify a site suitable for the development of an EfW facility. This reference site is located at Four Ashes in South Staffordshire, and has the benefit of excellent transport links. The site will be a brown field development with industrial neighbours in an area known for its industrial land use.

To help fund the project and to reduce the cost to Staffordshire's Council Tax Payers, the County has applied to Central Government's Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) for funding under a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) scheme.

An Expression of Interest (EoI) was submitted to Defra in September 2007 and was approved in November. This was developed into a more detailed Outline Business Case (OBC) which was submitted to Defra in March 2008.

This web page contains a version of both the full Outline Business Case document and an Executive Summary.

The appendices to the full Outline Buisness Case document can be accessed via these links:

Appendices for OBC - Page 1 of 3

Appendices for OBC - Page 2 of 3

Appendices for OBC - Page 3 of 3

If you would like to learn more about Project W2R further information can be gained at  www.staffsprojectw2r.info