The people of Crymlyn Burrows have been let down by an assembly administration who would rather not get involved in difficult decisions

Alun Cairns AM

The plant has been designed to cut the amount of waste going to landfill by either burning or recycling it.

But local people, who have been campaigning against the scheme for two years, fear emissions will damage their health.

They have threatened to fight the decision in the courts.

Around 30 anti-incinerator protestors gathered outside the Swansea office of the Environment Agency's before the announcement was made on Thursday.

But a south Wales AM has expressed his deep dismay at the news.

"This is terrible news," said Alun Cairns, Tory AM for South Wales West.

"Despite an effective campaign the wishes of the people of Crymlyn Burrows and surrounding areas have been ignored."

"The people of Crymlyn Burrows have been let down by an assembly administration who would rather not get involved in difficult decisions."

Landfill solution

Finishing touches are currently being completed at the �32m plant, which will use a network of conveyors to separate 150,000 tonnes of waste from Neath Port Talbot and Bridgend.

Half of the waste will either be recycled or composted and only a quarter will go to landfill.

The remaining quarter will be burnt to produce enough electricity to run the plant, with any surplus exported to the national grid.

Steve Burnett: 'Best environmental choice'

But local residents are concerned about the plant, which has been built by a firm called HLC on a 25-year contract from Neath Port Talbot council.

They claim the plans to burn domestic waste at the plant will release cancer-causing chemicals into the air.

Campaigners Mike and Jackie Ryan, who live a couple of hundred yards from the plant, say they are genuinely frightened by the facility, and are angry with the way their fears have been addressed.

"We have been finding faults with the proposed site - and the Environment Agency are helping them all the way," said Mike Ryan.

I think the new generation of plants are offering the best possible environmental choice with regard to safe energy recovery

Steve Burnett, HLC

"Every time we come up with a serious health risk to use, the Environment Agency are showing HLC exactly which way to get the licence."

But Steve Burnett, from HLC, played down the environmental concerns.

"There has been a negative stigma attached to energy from waste in this country," he said.

"This was due to the poor performance of the previous generation of plants built in the 1960s and 1970s - the limits are much tighter now.

"The new plants are dealing with emissions which are a tenth, often a hundredth of what came out of these plants," he added.

"I think they are offering the best possible environmental choice with regard to safe energy recovery."

Granting the plant the IPPC permit it needs to operate, the agency also said it would be monitoring the facility closely.