Thermal treatment

Energos plans to invest £40m in a renewable-energy facility at Knowsley Business Park in Merseyside that would convert leftover, non-recyclable waste into electricity for up to 10,000 homes, as well as creating heat for local industry.

A planning application has been made to Knowsley Borough Council by the company, which is part of the north-west based renewable-energy company Ener-G.

The proposed scheme would use a thermal-treatment technique called gasification, which produces gas from waste before combusting it to generate heat, producing steam and electricity.

Nick Dawber, managing director for Energos, said: 'The scheme would create a similar renewable-power output to 18 large wind-turbines.

'No more than 40 lorries would visit the site each day and they would have direct access from the East Lancashire Road or M57.