Plans for a £400m waste incinerator on the outskirts of Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney have been withdrawn.
The application for Brig Y Cwm has been pulled by US firm Covanta – but the firm has denied it had anything to do with strong local opposition.
In a statement it said: “We were looking to provide a national solution for much of the waste in Wales which is currently going to landfill.
“This would have provided a low disposal cost, low carbon and highly efficient solution.
“After a long search we wanted to place our multi-million pound inward investment at Merthyr Tydfil which is one of the most depressed towns in Wales.
“It would have been transformed by this level of investment.
“However, the local authorities have adopted a fragmented approach (not a national approach) to dealing with residual waste.
“This makes the plant unviable. We have therefore decided to terminate the planning process and concentrate on our other UK projects.”
The application was among four proposals initially short-listed by Prosiect Gwyrdd, a consortium of five councils – including Caerphilly County Borough Council.
Campaigners had voiced concerns the incinerator would have a detrimental effect on the local community’s health.
Huw Lewis, AM for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney, welcomed the announcement.
He said: “The campaign against the incinerator has united people from all communities in Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney, people from all backgrounds and of all shades of political opinion.
“I am thoroughly delighted that this application has been withdrawn. Our communities can now breathe a sigh of relief.”
Good, as an Engineer I shuld be for such projects, but in my experience, very few companies use the latest technology when designing their incinerators, using the cheapest they can get away with. The Swansea incinerator, was, according to my then boss,using the worst form of technology available. The trouble with capitalism is multinationals can come to somewhere like Merthyr, and try and con the public in oder to make money. The Merthyr protestors should be congratulated on their success, Dic Penderyn would be proud of them. Joe Hill, an American Labour activist picked up on the demands of striking mill workes, who said "We want bread and roses too". Thats what the people of Merthyr need Bread and Roses.