Labour’s Caerphilly MP Wayne David has welcomed the decision by American company Covanta to withdraw plans to build a waste incinerator near Merthyr Tydfil.
Covanta has decided to withdraw its Brig-y-Cwm application following huge public opposition. Last month, the BBC alleged that Covanta had a history of breaking environmental regulations in the United States.
Mr David said: “This is excellent news for the area. There was widespread public opposition to the proposed incinerator plant and I am delighted that people power has been successful.”
In a statement, Covanta 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.”