Lakeside EfW
An EfW facility based upon conventional combustion technology and considered an ERF based on its R1 status. Lakeside EfW has permitted capacity of 468,280 tonnes per year and is operated by Lakeside Energy From Waste Ltd - a joint venture between Viridor and Grundon.
Delivery of waste is by road, with a location close to the M25/M4 intersection, and the facility processes primarily residual Household Waste and Commercial Waste[1][2].
Site Details
| Operator | Viridor & Grundon Waste Management |
|---|---|
| Site | Lakeside EfW |
| Size | Large |
| Permit No | BT7116IW |
| Plated Capacity | 468.28 |
| Status | Operational |
Plant Description
Built by Itochu-Takuma under an EPC-turnkey contract and was delivered in January 2010 at a reported £160m capital cost[4].
The plant comprises conventional moving grate combustion technology generating a design output of 37MWe (vs the capacity of 30MWe listed).
History
The Lakeside facility was built to service a number of local authorities in the region, originally including Poole, Wiltshire, RE3 Partnership (comprising the Berkshire authorities of Bracknell, Wokingham and Reading) and WLWA (before its contract to send material to Avonmouth).
The original anticipated total throughput of the above was up to 440,000 tonnes per annum - receiving additional residual Commercial Waste to those authorities listed above.
The construction of the third runway at Heathrow Airport would have necessitated the movement of the facility, with plans submitted in June 2019 to Slough Borough Council [3]. The withdrawal of the extension was reported in late 2020 when the relocation was withdrawn. Recent news around the potential for the Heathrow extension to be revisited has not led to any news on the need to move the facility.
In December 2025 Equitix increased their stake in Viridor with a path to acquire 50% of the business[5].
