Doubt over future of coal-fired power station site

Doubts have been raised over plans for a new £330m waste incinerator on the site of the Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station.

The facility was approved by Nottinghamshire County Council's planning committee in 2021 and rubber-stamped by the government the following year, despite concerns from environmental campaigners.

Uniper Energy, which owns the site, said it was now "looking at alternative options for the future" after one of its former shareholders decided not to proceed.

On 30 September, UK's last coal-fired power station closed, with demolition of the site to follow after decommissioning, which is set to take two years.

The proposed incinerator - known as the East Midlands Energy Re-Generation (EMERGE) Centre - would burn almost 500,000 tonnes of waste per year, reduce landfill and generate enough energy to power 90,000 homes.

Campaigners against the plans at the time said incineration sends significant amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Now, the Local Democracy Reporting Service has been informed one of Uniper’s former shareholders, the Finnish state-owned Fortum, will not be proceeding after disposing of its shares in the company.

Fortum sold its shares in 2022, and Uniper is now almost entirely owned by the German government.

A Uniper spokesperson said: "We are looking at alternative options for the future."

Nottingham City Council Meadows ward councillor Michael Edwards raised his concerns for the future of the plant at the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire joint committee on mineral and waste planning on Friday.

In response, David Arnold, head of planning and environment at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: "There is planning permission at Ratcliffe and that has not been implemented yet. We don't know whether that will be implemented.

"They have got until March next year and that is with Uniper. It is on their land and because of these circumstances it may mean they change their minds."

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