Encyclis strengthens central Energy-from-Waste fleet with completion of strategic acquisition

Encyclis has consolidated its position as the leading Energy-from-Waste (EfW) owner and operator in central England by completing a transaction which unlocks full ownership of two landmark facilities in its core geography.

Newhurst Energy Recovery Facility, in Leicestershire, and Protos Energy Recovery Facility, in Cheshire, are now wholly owned by Encyclis, after the company completed the acquisition of Biffa’s shares in the two plants.

The transaction strengthens Encyclis’ position in central England, with a strategically important cluster of well-located, highly efficient, state-of-the-art facilities. These play a vital role in helping to manage the 10 million tonnes of non-recyclable waste generated every year in the Midlands and adjoining regions.

When fully built out, Encyclis’ core cluster of facilities in central England will provide over two million tonnes per year of residual waste treatment capacity, while generating enough baseload electricity to power more than a quarter of a million homes.

In addition, Encyclis is poised to develop the first commercial-scale carbon capture facility for EfW in support of the UK Government’s decarbonisation targets.  As part of the HyNet industrial decarbonisation cluster, the Protos carbon capture project, in Cheshire, has been selected to progress in Track-1 of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s industrial carbon capture programme.

Mark Burrows-Smith, Chair of Encyclis, said: “This is an exciting time for Encyclis. By taking full ownership of two major facilities in our core fleet, we are consolidating our position in the centre of England. The clustering of our best-in-class assets in this region brings a range of geographical benefits in terms of operational optimisation, flexibility and efficiency for waste suppliers, and progress on decarbonisation. At the same time, we are making good progress with our construction projects, and look forward to developing a full-scale carbon capture project at Protos. This all reinforces Encyclis’ position as one of the UK’s most significant owners and operators of Energy-from-Waste facilities, with a growing portfolio and a commitment to the highest standards in all areas of our business.”

The assets in Encyclis’ central England cluster comprise:

• Rookery South ERF (majority owned and operated by Encyclis), in Bedfordshire, which has a waste processing capacity of around 660,000 tonnes per year, generating 60MW of baseload electricity.
• Newhurst ERF (100% owned by Encyclis), in Leicestershire, which commenced commercial operations in 2023, and has the capacity to process up to 455,000 tonnes of residual waste per annum and generate up to 40MW of baseload electricity.
• Protos ERF (100% owned by Encyclis), near Ellesmere Port in Cheshire, is currently in the cold commissioning phase. When operational, the facility is permitted to process up to 500,000 tonnes of residual waste each year, generating 37.5MW of baseload electricity.
• Walsall ERF (100% owned by Encyclis), which is under construction, and will provide the West Midlands with up to 480,000 tonnes of modern waste treatment capacity, generating 44MW of baseload power.
• Wellingborough IBA Processing Plant (part-owned by Encyclis), in Northamptonshire, became operational in May 2024 and recovers metals and aggregates from the ash that remains after the thermal treatment of waste, with a capacity of up to 200,000 tonnes per year, supporting the transition to a more circular economy.