Preferred bidder for Peterborough incinerator

Viridor Waste Management edged out Kier to build the energy from waste facility in Storeys Bar Road, Fengate, the city council confirmed.

The project, a 33-year contract, aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions and cut costs via re-generated energy through the incineration process. Council officials said the facility is needed in order to combat the unsustainable nature of landfill sites, as well as their rising usage costs.

Council deputy leader, Matthew Lee, said the facility would be operational by September 2015 and claimed the incinerator would generate enough electricity to power 15% of Peterborough homes for a year.

"Continuing to landfill is not an option and council has planned to ensure we have a secure way of dealing with the city’s waste," Lee said. "It’s the right thing to do for the environment and for the city’s taxpayers."

The project however, met opposition from clean energy activist group, Peterborough Friends of the Earth, which criticised the council for failing to conduct a better public consultation on the plans.