PFI rip-off for Incinerators - BBC Panorama + Call from the Treasury

This week is set to mark the end of PFI as we've known it.
## Panorama on Monday and BBC News Channel Thurs 4.30, Sunday 20.30
             "Who's getting rich on your money" via PPP/PFI ?
## Call for evidence from the Treasury comes out on Thurs. for its inquiry into alternatives.
(Both below)

PFI has massively favoured incineration. £3 billion capital spend in the pipeline in England; £2bn commitments in Wales.  The weighting given to 'bankable technology' and giant infrastructure has more-or-less ruled out modular flexible alternatives. On top of which are the PFI credits given as inducements to councils to take on PFI debt. These credits amount to far more than is being given to the Green Investment Bank to support the development of new waste technologies.

Of the total 61 PFI projects still about to go through under the old discredited system, 39% are for waste infrastructure. This is much the largest tranche and represents 3 times that of hospitals and 7x that of schools. Of the 11 PFI waste contracts under procurement 9 are for incinerators. Along with other waste PFIs still in the pipeline this sector accounts for £3 billion of capital spending.

Jesse Norman MP led the campaign to get PFI reviewed and  has called for a moratorium on all those in the pipe-line. The Treasury has ignored this so far.

PFI reform: Call for evidence www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/iuk_pfi_reform_call_for_evidence.htm

The Government will be launching a call for evidence on 1 December that aims to capture the learning and lessons of the past 20 years of PFI. We will look to use those lessons to help inform the development of a new model that addresses the concerns of PFI. We invite those across the private and public sector that have strong ideas on how the future model should work to come forward with proposals and contribute to the development of a new delivery model.

The Government’s approach to reform will be guided by the following principles, for a model that

• is less expensive, and that uses private sector innovation to deliver services more cost effectively;
• can access a wider range of financing sources, including encouraging a stronger role to be played by pension fund investment;
• strikes a better balance between risk and reward to the private sector;
• has greater flexibility to accommodate changing public service needs over time;
• maintains the incentive on the private sector to deliver capital projects to time and to budget and to take performance risk on the delivery of services;
• delivers an accelerated and cheaper procurement process; and
• gives greater financial transparency at all levels of the project so that the public sector is confident that it is getting what it paid for, and that the taxpayer is sure it is getting a fair deal now and over the longer term.

MONDAY @ 20:30 on BBC One   .... also Thurs, Fri and Sunday Who's Getting Rich on your Money?

As Government spending cuts bite, one group of businessmen know they will keep making vast profits from our taxes while getting us ever deeper into debt. Since 1997 almost every new school and hospital in the UK has been built by private companies who lease them back to the government. But what's in it for the taxpayer?
John Ware investigates the inflexible terms and conditions of what has become the government's flexible friend - the Private Finance Initiative - a kind of ministerial credit card which racks up huge public debts without showing on the nation's balance sheet. He uncovers evidence of how government claims that PFI gives taxpayers value for money have been manipulated.
And he asks why the coalition government signed so many PFI deals when in opposition both the prime minister and his deputy branded them as 'dodgy accounting'.

    Credits:  Reporter John Ware;  Producer Leo Telling;  Executive Producer Eammon Matthews

Broadcasts

1. Mon 28 Nov 2011 20:30 BBC One
2. Thu 1 Dec 2011 04:30 BBC News Channel
3. Fri 2 Dec 2011 00:25 BBC One (except Northern Ireland, Wales)
4. Sun 4 Dec 2011 20:30 BBC News Channel

Welsh Assembly accepts anti-Incineration Petition

The anti-Incineration Petition (over 13 000 signatures) accepted by the Assembly Petitions Committee on 15th November reads:
We call upon the National Assembly to urge the Welsh Government to review
1. Prosiect Gwyrdd, which is against WAG policy of localised facilities, and allow our councils to choose their own waste technology and waste management procurement;
2. The flawed Wales waste survey that only gave people a 2 choice option on waste disposal;
3. By 2020, make it illegal to burn recyclable waste which would promote councils to recycle.


The Petitions Committee is asking (letter of 16th Nov) for views of the public and organisations on this and on the questions:



1. What, in your view, is the best method of disposing of non-recyclable waste?
2. What are the advantages and disadvantages (in terms of the environment, health, local economy etc) of incineration?
3. Do you think it’s a good idea for local authorities to collaborate on waste policy, which could lead to resource savings, or it more important for them to find the most appropriate solution for their locality? What are the reasons for your answer?


Responses are requested by 3rd Jan. 2012.  
While this open invitation is fine, note how the questions are slanted:
... the best treatment of 'non-recyclable' waste is to develop means of separation, detoxification and stabilisation, so it can be recycled or sequester carbon and contaminants (in landfill or building materials)
... collaboration on an incinerator, as P Gwyrdd, wastes both money and resources on high-cost and polluting old technology.

Litter and Rubbish collections by the Vale Council

The Gem published our sarcastic letter slightly amended under the title

 Stop windblown rubbish by buying a £1 net covering (17 Nov.) 

G A Walters (Gem letters 3^rd Nov.) seems unaware of the Vale Council's measures over recycling plastics being blown around the street. We, the people, are to blame – we fail to net over the green bins. 

Take a trip to the Alps depot near Wenvoe and buy a net for £1.00. Few have taken up this offer – so cannot the officers blame lazy Vale of Glamorgan folk for their poor performance in recycling? 

Likewise, the general waste thrown in with recycling stuff by the Council waste collectors, as a second correpondent (3 Nov.) saw. Again householders are blamed for not clearly bagging and separating. Did it lead to rejection of recycling loads and sending the lot to landfill, as Walters writes? 

Is there not a problem at the top, with the Vale's waste officers writing** they've long believed in co-mingled collections, so gave up on making a success of separated collection? Isn't this why the recycling/composting rate dropped to 38%, compared with Bridgend's 52%?

**  see Cabinet report, 6th July,  s.8  

Group meeting with Lib-Dem AM, Eluned Parrott

Meeting in the Castle pub with Eluned Parrott AM, discussing incineration and waste issues.
She agreed to send letters to Welsh Env Minister and Env Agency concerning ROC subsidy for the
proposed "Sunrise" wood burner and implications of it burning waste wood containing arsenic preservative and other chemicals. The Welsh government could have a principle of - no ROC subsidy if there was strong public opposition locally, similar to the condition invoked last week against the Norfolk incinerator by the UK Environment Minister.
Ms Parrott also discussed Prosiect Gwyrdd for municipal waste incinerators in Cardiff or Newport (Llanwern). When PG collapses, as appears likely, the BioGen gasifier-incinerator proposed on Barry Dock is likely to come back into contention.
Ms Parrott was interested in the MBT alternative to incineration and promised to contact colleagues on Bristol Council, which has a contract for the new MBT commissioned in Avonmouth by 'New Earth Solutions'. This new UK company was cut out of P Gwyrdd's shortlist in favour of mega-waste companies Covanta, Viridor and Veolia, all planning large incinerators.
The group also discussed recycling, criticising the Vale Council for limiting it to 65% of waste and deferring this till 2025. Its change to co-mingled recycling collection was also criticised as giving poor quality materials of lower value. They may well have to change back to separated collection, it was argued.

Large wood-incinerator rejected in Manchester area

Barton wood-fuelled incinerator rejected against Council officer advice

Trafford Council’s planning committee voted unanimously to reject Peel’s proposal for a 200,000 tonne incinerator, described by Peel as the “Barton Energy Plant”, which would have primarily burned waste wood.

    The committee rejected the plant against officer recommendation, as it would harm the regeneration of the area - because it would cause people to move away. The similar ‘Sunrise’ wood-burner in Barry dock is smaller at 70 000 tpa, but the argument about people and businesses moving away was never used. 

    Their Council spokeswoman was open-minded enough to say was a "genuine and significant public concern over the perceived impact on public health" of the planned incinerator, whereas our Council officers were just sore at the rejection of ‘Sunrise’.

    The proposal submitted in December 2010 was opposed by the Breathe Clean Air Group (BCAG) and Biofuelwatch.  “Last night’s decision vindicates all the hard work undertaken by the Breathe Clean Air Group” said chairman Pete Kilvert. “We have worked tirelessly to ensure that our case was based on strong scientific evidence. We are thrilled that the whole community stood together and wish to thank all the Councillors who spoke out against the plant last night. This is an historic victory for the people of Urmston”

    The company has 3 months to decide whether to appeal the decision, which would result in a public inquiry.  Their incinerator was to burn 90% biomass: 70-75% “waste wood” and “15-25% from other plant-derived biomass, such as managed forestry residues, energy crops and agricultural residues”, but also solid recovered fuel from municipal waste etc.

      More details in these media reports:
Barton Energy Plant plans rejected by Trafford Council (BBC news)
Plans for biomass power plant in Davyhulme are rejected by councillors (Manchester Evening News)

Fracking Debate in Commons, 3rd November

This debate was rather shallow and our Alun Cairns MP did not get in. Best to read it on “Theyworkforyou”, where annotations can be added – see this one on the Minister's speech:

Quadrilla's site is "thousands of feet" deep, but what of sites as Llandow in the Vale of Glamorgan, 650m or 2100 ft deep? Dwr Cymru's representations to the VoG Council did view it as too close.  Does Government rule out such shallow deposits within range of aquifers?