Have been in a bit of a battle with the local daily, the Eastern Daily Press. They have taken up a position in favour of an energy from waste incinerator to be sited at Kings Lynn. It will handle 200,00 plus tons of waste and generate electricity for 35,000 homes.
The technology is in use all over the world but its possible impact on health via toxic output is untested. They use clean burn technologies but no one really knows.It will save a lot of money on expensive landfill.
It is to be sited at Kings Lynn just to the south west of the town. Which means any output blows staright over the town.
It is also about 45 miles east of us and we are near the centre of Norfolk. But it is therefore about 90 miles from the far west end of the county. It is a lot closer to Peterborough than Norwich.
I am unsure of the technology and unaffected by the possible pollution. But I think it is a bad location and in the wrong part of the county. It will generate thousands of lorry journeys across the county, and all empty on the return. Dangerous and polluting.
The contract is a PFI and we all know how good they are (not) for the public. But worse in this case the County are the planning authority but if they refuse it they will have to stump up £20 million compensation for their already appointed technology partners and preferred bidder.
And on top of all that the 25 year contract requires that NCC provide 175,000 tons minimum of waste every year. But their recycling plans mean this may be difficult or even impossible to achieve. The contract is a burn or pay deal - which means they6 will have to pay the value of everfy ton they fail to provide. They say they will use commercial waste to fill the gap, as if commercial waste producers, knowing about the penalty, will hand it over free!
The total plan is very weak. If they had sited it on one of our disused airfields (like Coltishall) it could have been in the middle of the county and, like one in Suffolk, more or less in open country. And on a site al,ready 'brown' and with at least reasonable access.
But the cute problem is that the EDP has hitched its saddle to the plan - even though 65,000 people in west Norfolk voted against it. As the controversy gets hotter I reckon thye editor is getting shakier! He has rather let the lead councillor Bill Borrett get away with editorial murder, hence my beef.
In the end I fear it will go through and I fear it will cost the taxpayers a great deal - either we fail our recycling commitments and get punished by Westminster or we buy in waste to fill a gap we made ourselves. Daft!
But the good news is - its Tory plan so either way they get the blame.
The technology is in use all over the world but its possible impact on health via toxic output is untested. They use clean burn technologies but no one really knows.It will save a lot of money on expensive landfill.
It is to be sited at Kings Lynn just to the south west of the town. Which means any output blows staright over the town.
It is also about 45 miles east of us and we are near the centre of Norfolk. But it is therefore about 90 miles from the far west end of the county. It is a lot closer to Peterborough than Norwich.
I am unsure of the technology and unaffected by the possible pollution. But I think it is a bad location and in the wrong part of the county. It will generate thousands of lorry journeys across the county, and all empty on the return. Dangerous and polluting.
The contract is a PFI and we all know how good they are (not) for the public. But worse in this case the County are the planning authority but if they refuse it they will have to stump up £20 million compensation for their already appointed technology partners and preferred bidder.
And on top of all that the 25 year contract requires that NCC provide 175,000 tons minimum of waste every year. But their recycling plans mean this may be difficult or even impossible to achieve. The contract is a burn or pay deal - which means they6 will have to pay the value of everfy ton they fail to provide. They say they will use commercial waste to fill the gap, as if commercial waste producers, knowing about the penalty, will hand it over free!
The total plan is very weak. If they had sited it on one of our disused airfields (like Coltishall) it could have been in the middle of the county and, like one in Suffolk, more or less in open country. And on a site al,ready 'brown' and with at least reasonable access.
But the cute problem is that the EDP has hitched its saddle to the plan - even though 65,000 people in west Norfolk voted against it. As the controversy gets hotter I reckon thye editor is getting shakier! He has rather let the lead councillor Bill Borrett get away with editorial murder, hence my beef.
In the end I fear it will go through and I fear it will cost the taxpayers a great deal - either we fail our recycling commitments and get punished by Westminster or we buy in waste to fill a gap we made ourselves. Daft!
But the good news is - its Tory plan so either way they get the blame.
