A WASTE treatment plant at Lostock is set to expand just a year after becoming fully operational.

The Renescience Northwich plant at the Lostock Works site turns household waste into green energy.

It is the first full-scale bio plant in the world capable of handling household waste through enzymes, mechanical sorting and anaerobic digestion.

Owned by Orsted – the new name of DONG Energy – the site could see extensions after an application was submitted to Cheshire West and Chester Council’s planning department.

The design and access statement said: “The proposal is to extend various halls to the existing facility to allow the incorporation of additional process equipment that will reduce breakdowns and allow the facility to run more efficiently as well as allowing additional storage and maintenance areas.”

It lists the objectives of the application as providing additional internal space, extending in keeping with the existing facility and surrounding area, provide a sensitive and sustainable drainage solution, and retain biodiversity at the site.

An update on the Orsted website says there will be no additional visual impact for residents, and that the operational capacity of the facility will not be increased by the project.

If plans are approved, Orsted hopes to begin work later this year.