Plans to build a £120million incinerator in the south of Aberdeen have moved a step forward.
The local authority yesterday submitted a proposal of application notice for the new facility on a derelict industrial site at East Tullos.
The development would process non-recyclable waste from Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray, and is expected to be jointly-funded by the three local authorities.
A consultation is due next month before a planning application is lodged in January.
The incinerator is pencilled-in for completion by 2020, when a new ban on the use of land-fill sites will come into force.
The city council believes the heat from the plant could be used to help cut power bills for up to 20,000 city homes.
However, the scheme has already provoked opposition from Torry Community Council, which does not believe it should be built near any homes.
Councillor Jean Morrison, convener of the city council’s zero waste committee, said: “This plant would allow the city to benefit from heat and power produced from non-recyclable waste.
“These benefits would include the alleviation of fuel poverty and a reduction in landfill costs.
“Most of the waste in this region is currently going to landfill, which is unsustainable in environmental terms and does not allow for the recovery of any value from the waste collected.
“I would encourage local residents to engage with the city council during the upcoming public consultation.”