Confirmation of the deal follows months of technical, financial and legal wrangling over the plan which has faced a wave of local opposition.

The Urbaser Balfour Beatty consortium has been awarded the contract to build and operate an energy from waste facility  at Javelin Park near Haresfield.

The new plant still requires planning permission and an environmental permit before it can be built and operated.

Urbaser Balfour Beatty’s planning application is currently being considered by the council and an environmental permit application has been submitted to the Environment Agency by the company.

Javier Peiro of Urbaser Balfour Beatty said: “Urbaser Balfour Beatty is pleased that Gloucestershire County Council’s Cabinet has awarded the contract for a long-term solution to the county’s waste problem. We have worked closely with the council to develop a solution for Gloucestershire and are confident that this contract offers excellent value and benefits for the county.

“The proposed energy from waste facility at Javelin Park will play a vital role in meeting the real and pressing need for an alternative to landfill in Gloucestershire.

“The facility would prevent the equivalent annual greenhouse gas emissions of nearly a million cars, recover approximately 3,000 tonnes of metals each year for recycling, and increase Gloucestershire’s renewable energy production by over 50 per cent.”