The appointment of TIRU, part of the recycling and waste management specialists PAPREC Group, allows owners Binn Group and investment partners Iona Capital Ltd to press ahead with plans approved by Perth & Kinross Council in 2020 for the next generation plant.

TIRU currently operate two EfW plants at Grimsby and Exeter and 18 further facilities across Europe ranging in scale from 3 MW to 200 MW.

The Binn Eco Park will be their first EfW contract in Scotland and TIRU will also supply the technology for the 8 MW facility handling up to 85,000 tonnes each year.

The EfW project will create more than 200 jobs during the construction phase and 30 long-term skilled posts once operational, hopefully by late 2024.

Binn Group will act as primary feedstock suppliers for the plant which will be developed as part of the 200-acre Binn Eco Park site where a variety of low-carbon energy solutions are being developed including EfW, wind and solar power.

Julia Safiullina, investment manager at Iona Capital, welcomed TIRU’s involvement.

“Their experience in engineering and construction gives us confidence that the project will be delivered on time and on budget,” she said. “TIRU’s extensive experience in operating EfWs and developing heat utilisation provides a further assurance that the Binn EfW project will be a success.”

The Binn EfW facility will provide additional low carbon energy to a local private electricity grid helping to drive clean technology development at the Binn Eco Park. The private grid will also enable the export of low-carbon energy to local businesses and other facilities.

Future plans for the Binn Eco Park include advanced horticulture systems to support short food miles supply chain development, advanced circular economy recycling systems and a clean technology training and R&D centre, which will all benefit from low carbon heat produced by the on-site EfW.

The Binn Eco Park is also the proposed site for an advanced plastics recycling facility granted a £5.2m award in the £300m Tay Cities Deal. This new facility will enable Binn Group to offer customers ‘all in one bin’ collection systems for industrial, commercial and municipal plastics, helping them to improve their recycling performance, while reducing the plastic waste content of residual wastes entering the facility.

Allan MacGregor, Binn Group CEO, said the new EfW facility would provide the necessary infrastructure for commercial operators needing to divert their residual waste from landfill.

“It also offers a local solution to nearby municipal authorities,” he said. “We are excited at the role the facility will play in securing growth of Binn Group, whilst supporting inward investment and economic regeneration for the Perthshire economy.

“We believe PAPREC, TIRU and Iona Capital bring an experienced team with tried and tested technology and multi-site operational and financing experience to help Binn Group provide a cleaner solution for non-recyclable waste.”

Allan strongly believes that smaller multi-technical resource management platforms should be developed at local level to manage waste streams as close to their generation point as possible.

“Our proposed plant will offer an option for both local businesses and industry - and neighbouring local authorities - to meet their legal obligations,” he said. “By offering a low carbon solution to combat a national problem at local level, Binn Group will play a key role in supporting the transition away from landfill and help drive the Government’s Zero Waste Strategy.

“‘No-one should be in any doubt about the environmental challenges facing us all,” he added. “Binn Group intends to develop the Binn Eco Park as a key component of the transition to a low carbon Tayside economy, create jobs and support our local communities.”