MORE than £1 million is expected to be generated when equipment from a power plant near York goes under the hammer.

Power-generation and recycling equipment from the plant at Alne, in North Yorkshire, will be sold at the end of the month at an auction run by Eddisons, and under the instruction of debt recovery agency the High Court Enforcement Group.

The power plant and recycling centre, which was owned by the Walled Garden Partnership, set up by the former owners of the landfill site at Alne, was designed to harness energy from methane created by waste at the site.

By capturing and recycling methane produced by the landfill site, the plant was set to generate enough electricity to power 2,000 homes for 20 years, via a connection to Husthwaite Sub Station.

However, following a High Court judgement on debt owed by the Walled Garden Partnership, Eddisons is now auctioning the assets on behalf of the High Court Enforcement Group, with a total pricetag expected to surpass the £1 million mark.

Jason Pinder, director and head of machinery and business assets at Eddisons, said: "Lots such as this don’t come to market very often. It’s a rare chance to acquire such high end, late model generation plant.

"As this was an ongoing project there is some brand new equipment that has not even been commissioned.

"We’re told that the trommel - the cylinder screen that sorts waste into different grades and sizes - is the longest in the country and has been certified for use in power stations."

The assets are being sold in 30 lots, available to view from September 29 before going under the hammer on September 30.