Plans for a £20million facility in Scotland to turn plastic waste into hydrogen have been dropped.

Peel NRE were given the green light to build an incinerator at Rothesay Dock by West Dunbartonshire Council in June.

But the company confirmed yesterday that it had withdrawn its application.

Peel said a moratorium on the building of new waste-to-energy incinerators announced by the Scottish Government a few months ago was "one of the key drivers" behind its decision.

Peel development director Richard Barker told the BBC: "The current moratorium on thermal treatment facilities in Scotland creates a negative environment that risks stifling this innovation in the sustainable management of waste and was one of the key drivers in our decision to withdraw the application.

"Our plans for North Clyde would have provided much-needed infrastructure for processing plastics that can't be recycled, creating a local source of hydrogen that could be used as an alternative clean fuel for HGVs, buses and cars.

Reaching net-zero

"This could have helped contribute to the Scottish Government's mission to decarbonise our communities and economies to reach net-zero."

But the Scottish Greens said the decision to axe plans for the incinerator was "proof that new planning rules are helping deliver Scotland's climate ambitions".

West Scotland MSP Ross Greer said it was "a significant win for the local community".

He added: "It is also proof that the Scottish Government's new policy of not supporting new incinerators, delivered by the Scottish Greens, is already having a positive impact on our climate.

"This application was the first test of the new policy, and it's clear that the message is clearly getting through already - Scotland does not need more incinerators.

"I hope that other companies take note."

  • A new incinerator in Aberdeen is due to fire up to start burning waste in the first quarter of 2023.

The £150 million Ness Energy Project is in East Tullos.

The facility will process waste that can’t be recycled from the three local authorities of Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and Moray.

When it is fully up and running, it is planned to burn 150,000 tonnes of unrecyclable material every year, and produce heat and electricity in the process.

The contractor for the incinerator is EFW Ness Limited — a subsidiary of Acciona Industrial UK.

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