New Jersey-based Covanta Energy Corp. has purchased land in Northwest England and submitted an application for planning approval to build a new waste-to-energy plant in Cheshire County, according to the North of England Inward Investment Agency.

The North of England Inward Investment Agency is a British government-funded consultancy and UK-based inward investment agency, which advises and assists North American companies considering U.K./European expansion.

Covanta's new facility will convert Cheshire County's residential waste into enough electricity to power up to 50,000 local homes. The company plans to utilize a mix of commercial and industrial wastes from shops, offices and other businesses in the region.

In addition to employing about 300 workers during its construction, the facility will create 50 permanent jobs upon completion.

Beyond providing residential electricity, Covanta will provide combined heat and power to British Salt, a major local employer. The company said it is also participating in ongoing discussions with other local businesses about using combined heat and power to see how they might benefit from the new facility.

The Cheshire County project is the second U.K.-based plant Covanta has announced in recent months. In February, the company unveiled plans to build a 70-megawatt waste-to-energy plant in Merthyr, Wales, that will produce enough electricity to power up to 180,000 homes.

The $575 million plant will be linked to rail-operated waste transfer stations across Wales, including municipal, commercial and industrial landfill sites. The facility is expected to process 875,000 tons of waste annually.

Covanta Energy currently operates 38 waste-to-energy facilities in North America, Europe and Asia.