CIP and FCC Environment have reached financial close on the Lostock Sustainable Energy Plant in Cheshire (UK). Once operational, it will be one of UK and Europe’s largest energy-from-waste (EfW) plants.

The £480m Lostock Sustainable Energy Plant project has been given the green light for construction by owners Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) (60%) and FCC Environment (40%) after the project reaching financial close.

Located in Lostock, Northwest England, the EfW plant will process 600,000 tonnes of waste per annum, which will contribute to the UK government’s strategy to reduce landfill and export of waste. With a capacity of 60MW, the Lostock facility will be among the biggest EfW plants in the UK as well as Europe and is expected to power roughly 110,000 homes, offsetting more than 200,000 tonnes of CO2 per year. 

The EfW plant will be built on the land of Tata Chemicals Europe (TCE). The plant will through site upgrades and mutual offtake agreements for steam and sodium bicarbonate deliver significant new infrastructure for TCE’s soda ash plant and wider Lostock site and thereby underpin TCE operations and jobs for the long term.

The two-boiler line project will be built by a consortium led by CNIM and today’s milestone marks the green light for them to initiate manufacturing and construction. The construction process will consist of two phases, starting with a 15-month enabling works program followed by a 3-year building phase including six months of commissioning. The plant is scheduled to commence operations in the end of second quarter of 2023.