THE construction of Northern Ireland's first large scale energy from waste facility officially got under way yesterday.
The Full Circle Generation project at Belfast Harbour Estate will provide 14.85MW of energy from Bombardier's wing facility.
It will have the capacity to process up to 180,000 metric tonnes of household waste when fully operational by the end of next year.
Bombardier, like other large firms across the north, have sought alternatives means to source energy with the cost of electricity for the largest users in Northern Ireland among the highest in Europe.
The whole project will cost around £107 million and will support 20 jobs when up and running.
Full Circle Generation is made up of a consortium of equity investors which includes RiverRidge Energy Limited, Green Investment Bank (GIB), Equitix and P3P Partners.
Director of Full Circle Brett Ross, who is also managing director of RiverRidge Recycling and RiverRidge Energy, said it was "significant day".
"The construction of the Full Circle Generation Waste to Energy facility will allow the industry to gain access to a piece of crucial infrastructure which until now had required waste management operators to export waste derived fuels and consequently energy to other territories," he said.
First minister Arlene Foster MLA said the plant "will address Bombardier's energy needs by supplying heating and electricity to their factories and offices in their Queen's Island site. This will help the company retain their global competitive edge by keeping running costs as low as possible.
"The plant will also provide a necessary solution for the waste management sector and a source of renewable energy and is, without doubt, a vital piece of infrastructure for Northern Ireland."
The Green Investment Bank has committed £47m to the building of the facility.
Its chief executive Shaun Kingsbury said it would be "a world class energy from waste facility capable of recovering much needed renewable energy, diverting waste from landfill and providing a meaningful predictive energy source for Bombardier."
The French construction group Bouygues Energies and Services has been appointed by Full Circle Generation and is responsible for the design, build and operation of the facility which incorporates the use of gasification technology."
