Parliamentary Under Secretary of State visits the Millerhill RERC to see how waste is converted to energy

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State visits the Millerhill RERC to see how waste is converted to energy

Iain Stewart MP, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Scotland Office visited the Millerhill RERC (Recycling and Energy Recovery Centre) last week to see for himself how waste that cannot be recycled is harnessed for energy.

The facility is part of a partnership between City of Edinburgh and Midlothian councils and FCC Environment and is part of the councils' commitment to increasing recycling in the Edinburgh and Midlothian region, as well as reducing the amount of waste being sent to landfill, in line with the Scottish Government's Zero Waste Plan.

The Millerhill Recycling and Energy Recovery Centre (RERC) is a thermal treatment plant which processes up to 155,000 tonnes of residual non-hazardous waste each year, approximately 135,000 tonnes of which will come from households within the Edinburgh and Midlothian regions, and the remainder from businesses.

By using proven Energy from Waste technology, the Millerhill RERC generates up to 12MW of electricity - enough to power approximately 22,000 homes - and up to 20MW of heat - enough to meet the average heating needs of approximately 10,000 homes.

The Millerhill RERC is located between the active railway yards operated by Network Rail and the former Monktonhall Colliery. Previously used as a marshalling yard, the site was purchased by the City of Edinburgh and Midlothian councils to provide waste treatment facilities for the use of both local authorities. The site was chosen because of its strategic location on the boundary between the councils, and its good access to major road and rail routes.

The facility is also an integral part of an innovative low carbon district heating network to the new Shawfair town in the north of the council area on the outskirts of Edinburgh. The network will benefit from heat supplied by Millerhill.