Green waste power plant approved

The site will help the council hit its recycling rate target for 2020

The government has approved plans to build a £250m zero-landfill power plant in Peterborough.

Energy and Climate Change Minister David Kidney granted permission for Peterborough Renewable Energy Limited to build the power station at Fengate.

The energy park will burn natural waste to generate electricity that will power 60,000 homes a year, bosses say.

Other rubbish will be recycled or made into new products like roof tiles and glass bricks.

It means no waste will go into landfill and the plant will save 600,000 tonnes of CO2 per year

It will take three years to build, generating 300 jobs during construction and 109 skilled, permanent posts.

The plant is believed to be the first of its kind in the UK.

How it works Natural waste is burnt in a chamber It boils rainwater to produce steam This drives turbines creating electricity

Mr Kidney said: "This plant will provide reliable, low-carbon energy for years to come. The UK needs to generate 15% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020, and energy from biomass could contribute as much as a third of that.

"Meeting our target means we have to follow the East of England's example and build more plants like this."

The East of England has its own a renewable energy target of 17% by 2020, not including offshore wind.

Peterborough City Council expects the plant to be running by 2013 to coincide with the closure of the Dogsthorpe landfill site.