The waste incinerator being built at Javelin Park outside Stonehouse has been connected to the grid, paving the way for the first trials of the facility later this year.

Urbaser Balfour Beatty (UBB), which is constructing the incinerator at the site off of the M5 in Haresfield on behalf of Gloucestershire County Council for £500m, announced the facility now has electricity earlier today.

It says a 33kVa cable connecting the facility to the National Grid has been fully installed, enabling work to begin on what is known as cold commissioning.

These tests are to make sure equipment is functioning correctly but will not involve the burning of waste.

Once the facility is operational, the dual-purpose cable will also export electricity generated at the facility from waste burning back to the National Grid.

Gloucestershire County Council is currently appealing an order from the Information Commissioner to release key financial information about the incinerator.

Campaigners have argued the information contained in an affordability report commissioned by the county council is needed to tell if the incinerator is good value for public money.

The hearing for the appeal is pencilled in for the end of January.

It is not the first legal battle over the incinerator. Stroud District Council unsuccessfully tried to stop it being built, with its bid reaching the High Court. 

Aside from the cable installation by Western Power Distribution, UBB have said October saw the insulation of ash hoppers to collect incinerator bottom ash and the installation of a water main on site which will soon be connected to the main supply.