FCC Environment, through its subsidiary Waste Recycling Group, has signed a £275m waste incinerator PFI contract in Buckinghamshire. The signature of the contract comes right before the outcome of a judicial review is known. Campaigners argue that the PFI contract will waste taxpayers' money but the Council said it expects the review to fail.

Buckinghamshire County Council awarded FCC Environment the contract to build and operate the energy-from-waste facility at Calvert last July.

Greatmoor EfW will convert household and business waste that cannot otherwise be recycled into valuable, renewable energy and help reduce the UK's dependence on fossil fuels for electricity. It will treat up to 300,000 tonnes of residual waste each year and will generate 22MW of electricity. This is equal to the amount of energy required by up to 36,000 homes.

Work on the plant is expected to start later this year and is due to be finished by 2015. But work cannot begin until the result of a judicial review into the project is published.

If Buckinghamshire County Council loses the judicial review and the contract is terminated or delayed then it is liable to pay penalties to FCC.