Flintshire Council's planning committee has granted permission for a new solid revered fuel (SRF) facility at Heidelberg Material's subsidary Hanson UK’s Padeswood cement site, which represents a GBP4m (US$4.95m/EUR4.55m) investment and will safeguard 177 jobs.

The development will be in an area currently used to park trailers, with an internal access road, and an electricity substation using SRF as an alternative fuel source. The project will refine SRF to make it suitable for use in the main burner, with smaller particulate being used in the main burner and larger particulate either used in the existing SRF burner or sold back to the market. A new air monitoring quality system has been installed at a nearby bowling green, and monthly monitoring is happening on the site.

Planning officer Dan McVey said. “Vehicles will be delivering materials to the site from Lancashire. In terms of how much the carbon the proposal would reduce, this is a small piece in what hopefully will be a much bigger picture to achieve what they need to achieve to meet their (carbon reduction) commitments by 2050."

Highways officer Sue Thomas said there would be 16 vehicle movements to and from the site in a 24 hour period, with the route likely via the A55 and Dobshill.