PRESS RELEASE

Thursday 8 July 2010

SITA UKSTARTS PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT ON PLANNING APPLICATION FOR GREAT BLAKENHAM ENERGY-FROM-WASTE FACILITY

Proposals for a new energy-from-waste facility at Great Blakenham that will save over 250,000 tonnes of household and business waste from being sent to landfill each year, along with 75,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year, are set to go on show later this month. Public engagement is taking place before a planning application is submitted later this year.

Suffolk residents will be able to look at the plans, view what the facility may look like, speak to the development team and submit their views on the project at public exhibitions at Great Blakenham Village Hall on:

•Thursday 22nd July: 12-6pm

•Friday 23rd July: 2-8pm

The facility is being proposed by SITA UK – one of the country’s leading recycling and resource management companies – following its selection by Suffolk County Council as its Preferred Bidder for a 25-year Private Finance Initiative (PFI) Residual Waste Treatment Contract. Contract award is subject to a decision by Suffolk County Council’s cabinet, which will take place later this year.

The proposedfacility would use modern, proven technology to produce energy from around 269,000 tonnes of waste per year that would otherwise be sent to landfill. Once fully operational, the facility would produce enough electricity to power 30,000 homes - equivalent to a town around the size of Lowestoft - and would create around 43 new, long-term jobs for Suffolk.

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Commenting on the project, James Dowell – SITA UK Project Manager, said:

“SITA UK always works hard to be a good neighbour and is committed to delivering an open and inclusive community engagement programme for the proposed energy-from-waste facility. We want to ensure that local residents are fully informed about the proposals, recognise why we need to divert waste from landfill and understand how the facility sits alongside the Suffolk Waste Partnership’s goal to recycle or compost 60% of municipal waste by 2015.

“We have taken great care in the design of the facility to ensure it fits well into its surroundings. The design of the building has been developed by Grimshaw, a world renowned firm of architects, who have worked on iconic developments such as the Eden Project in Cornwall.

“This is the start of the public engagement process with more exhibitions and events planned for September and October to allow the whole of the county the chance to see and understand the proposals, before we submit a planning application in December 2010.”

ENDS

SITA UK

SITA UK, a subsidiary of SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT, is a recycling and resource management company, generating environmental value, social value and economic value from our nation’s waste. The company delivers environmentally responsible and increasingly innovative solutions for the public, local government, industry and commerce, enabling our customers to reduce their impact on the environment. SITA UK serves over 12 million people and handles more than 9 million tonnes of domestic, commercial and industrial waste through a network of recycling, composting, energy-from-waste and landfill facilities. SITA UK employs over 5,500 staff and has an annual turnover in excess of £750 million.

SUEZENVIRONNEMENT

Natural resources are not infinite. Each day, SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT (Paris: SEV, Brussels: SEVB) and its subsidiaries deal with the challenge to protect resources by providing innovative solutions to industries and to millions of people. SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT supplies drinking water to 90 million people, provides wastewater treatment services for 58 million people and collects the waste produced by 46 million people. SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT has 65,900 employees and, with its presence on a global scale, is the world’s leader exclusively dedicated to environmental services. SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT, a 35.4% GDF SUEZ affiliate, reported sales turnover of 12.3 billion euros at the end of financial year 2009.

For further informationcontact:

PPS Group

Julian Seymour 02075291714 /

SITA UK

Anthony Durston 01628 513244 /

SITA UK will provide the proposed energy-from-waste facility at Great Blakenham on behalf of Suffolk County Council (the waste disposal authority)

For questions relating to Suffolk County Council contact:

Sandra Graffham 01473 264 395 /

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