Work has begun on a €120m (£103m) energy from waste plant in Tayside that will create 200 jobs during its construction.
The plant is being developed by Paprec Energies Binn, a joint venture between Scottish waste management company Binn Group and French recycling and green energy firm Paprec.
The two family-owned firms say the Binn Eco Park plant has been designed to cut carbon emissions from waste management and to provide low-carbon energy locally. When complete it will process up to 85,000 tonnes of residual waste a year and generate up to 8 MW of electricity, with the capacity to generate up to 17MW of heat annually.
Half of the feedstock will come from residual waste produced locally, as part of a 15-year contract awarded to Paprec by Perth and Kinross Council last year.
The project will generate 200 jobs during its construction phase and 30 long-term skilled posts once operational in early 2026.
Sebastien Petithuguenin, CEO of Paprec Energies said: “We’re delighted to be working closely with Binn Group to bring this new, exciting project to fruition.
“ Paprec Engineering has formidable experience in the design, construction and commissioning of EfW facilities. We have built more than 200 such plants over recent years and have been behind the construction of a third of all UK EfW facilities. When this facility goes live in early 2026, it will become the third EfW plant operated by Paprec within the UK.
“The construction of the EfW facility is part of a significant investment which builds on the strong working partnership between PAPREC and Binn Group, focused on innovating to meet key environmental challenges and decarbonise the economy.The long term commitment of Perth & Kinross Council, including our 15-year partnership to treat local residual waste, was a key factor behind our major investment in this ambitious project.
“This exciting project being led by Paprec Energies Binn is at the forefront of developing waste to energy plants with high environmental and social benefits for the local community.”
Allan MacGregor, Binn Group CEO, said: “We’re excited that construction has begun on this new EfW facility, which will be transformational in driving business growth, creating new jobs and supporting further investment in the Eco Park and the wider Perthshire economy. This new facility will be crucial in creating a cleaner solution for managing non-recyclable waste enabling businesses and local authorities to meet their legal obligations as Scotland continues its transition away from landfill waste in advance of next year’s landfill ban. It will also create a clean source of energy which will benefit local businesses and our wider community.”
Perth and Kinross Council leader, Councillor Grant Laing, said: “This is a ground-breaking project and it is fantastic to see work getting underway. The investment in the Binn Eco Park at Glenfarg will support local jobs and also create a generous Community Benefit Fund.
“As a Council, we are committed to reducing our carbon footprint and encouraging our residents to recycle as much as possible. However there is some waste that cannot be recycled. Rather than sending this to landfill, this energy to waste system will create heat and electricity while reducing carbon emissions.”
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