THE Javelin Park incinerator will generate around £19m in income for Gloucestershire County Council this year which will help fund public services.

The controversial £633m facility near junction 12 of the M5 burns more than 90 per cent of the county’s household waste producing enough electricity to power around 25,000 homes each year.

The site, which became fully operational in January 2020, employs around 40 people and recovers aggregates and metals for recycling.

The facility has faced opposition for years from campaigners, who blocked its first delivery of waste in 2019.

But now council chiefs say the facility’s profitability is helping them fund important services at a time when many authorities are struggling financially.

David Gray, GCC cabinet member responsible for the environment, said: “The council’s Energy from Waste facility has allowed us to divert over 90% of our household residual waste from landfill and it produces the equivalent energy to power approximately 25,000 homes per year.

“It is estimated that the facility will generate approximately £19 million of income in 2023/24 due to the high electricity prices which have been allocated by the council to fund important services across the county.”

Site bosses say the Gloucestershire Energy from Waste Facility uses state of the art technology to safely and efficiently combust up to 190,000 tonnes per year of residual waste – that is the waste left over after recycling and composting.

The facility recovers the energy within the waste by burning the leftover materials to create steam in the boiler, which is converted into electricity by a turbine.

They say the facility manages the gaseous products of combustion through a sophisticated cleansing and filtration system to ensure that flue gas emissions are well within regulatory limits.

From this process, there are two solid waste products. Incinerator Bottom Ash (IBA), which is processed to recover metals that have passed through the system and is then graded for recycling, and lime-based residues from the flue gas treatment system, which are taken off site for treatment and disposal.

In September 2021, independent auditors would not say whether the issuing of a waste contract for the Javelin Park incinerator was lawful or not.