Construction of £100 million Energy from Waste facility in Perth and Kinross under way

Work has begun on a £100 million Energy from Waste (EfW) facility in Perth and Kinross.

The new plant at Binn Eco Park, Glenfarg will create 200 jobs during construction and 30 jobs when it opens in 2026.

Funded by French company Paprec Group, it will be built and operated by Paprec Energies Binn - a partnership between Paprec Group and Binn Group.

Paprec is a French leader in recycling and green energy.

Founded in 2001 by father and son, John and Allan MacGregor - on their estate at Binn Farm - Binn Group has expanded to become one of Scotland’s largest independent waste management companies with over 200 employees. Allan's son Guy was recently appointed as business development manager seeing the family business span three generations.

PAPREC Energies chief executive Sebastien Petithuguenin, Binn Group chief executive Allan MacGregor, Perthshire South and Kinross-shire MSP Jim Fairlie and Perth and Kinross Council (PKC) leader Grant Laing were among a number of attendees at a special ceremony on Monday, May 6 to mark construction work getting under way.

Designed to reduce carbon emissions, the facility will process up to 85,000 tonnes of non-recyclable waste each year. About half the waste will have been collected by PKC as part of a £50 million 15-year contract - awarded to Paprec by the local authority last year - to treat its residual waste and turn it into energy.

Currently, around 40,000 tonnes of non-recyclable Perth and Kinross waste goes straight to landfill. New regulations - coming into force in Scotland from December 31, 2025 - will ban biodegradable municipal waste going to landfill.

The concrete building - currently visible on the site - will be the waste reception hall and waste bunker. The rubbish will be deposited into the bunker then fed into an incinerator; the heat generated will heat water to create steam which will power the turbine to produce energy.

A Paprec spokesperson explained how measures would be in place to ensure emissions from the incinerator would be controlled.

The spokesperson said: "There will be continuous monitoring systems to make sure we never exceed the limits, which are getting lower each year."

Each year the facility will generate up to eight MW of electricity and will also have the capacity to generate up to 17MW of heat.

And Paprec Energies Binn wants other businesses to benefit from the lower cost energy produced at Binn Eco Park.

Head of Strategy John Ferguson said: "We want businesses to come here and use our heat and our power and help us grow a low carbon economy and create new employment opportunities in Perth and Kinross."

Paprec Energies chief executive Sebastien Petithuguenin told those gathered at Monday's event they were "delighted to be working closely with Binn Group to bring this new, exciting project to fruition"

He added: "We have built more than 200 such plants over recent years and have been behind the construction of a third of all UK EfW facilities.

"When this facility goes live in early 2026, it will become the third EfW plant operated by Paprec within the UK.

"This exciting project being led by Paprec Energies Binn is at the forefront of developing waste to energy plants with high environmental and social benefits for the local community."

Binn Group chief executive Allan MacGregor said: "We’re excited that construction has begun on this new EfW facility, which will be transformational in driving business growth, creating new jobs and supporting further investment in the Eco Park and the wider Perthshire economy.

"This new facility will be crucial in creating a cleaner solution for managing non-recyclable waste enabling businesses and local authorities to meet their legal obligations as Scotland continues its transition away from landfill waste in advance of next year’s landfill ban. It will also create a clean source of energy which will benefit local businesses and our wider community."

Council leader Grant Laing described it as a "landmark day for Binn, Paprec and Perth and Kinross Council".

The SNP Perth and Kinross councillor said: "This is a ground-breaking project and it is fantastic to see work getting under way. The investment in the Binn Eco Park at Glenfarg will support local jobs and also create a generous Community Benefit Fund.

"As a council, we are committed to reducing our carbon footprint and encouraging our residents to recycle as much as possible. However there is some waste that cannot be recycled. Rather than sending this to landfill, this energy to waste system will create heat and electricity while reducing carbon emissions."

Former shepherd Jim Fairlie MSP - who lambed his first yows just over the hill from Binn Eco Park - said the partnership was "an example of what can happen when the public and private sector work together" and would help the Scottish Government meet its climate targets.

The minister for Agriculture and Connectivity said: "We have missed our targets for 2030.

"Where we work together, we can hit that 2045 target comfortably."