The cost of cancelling the controversial incinerator project at Javelin Park, near Gloucester could have been as high as £100million.

But the scheme at Haresfield is going ahead and Gloucestershire County Council says it will in fact save taxpayers over £100million.

There has been an ongoing dispute over how much information about the council's contract with Urbaser Balfour Beatty (UBB) should be made public.

Originally, the county council published the contract on its website, with information it believed to be commercially sensitive removed. The Information Commissioner told the council to publish the contract in full; however the council appealed to the Information Tribunal, seeking to clarify the legal position.

That has now been done and the Information Tribunal has upheld parts of the county council's appeal. Important commercial information including key technical details can be kept confidential, says the tribunal but some prices and information regarding termination will now be published.

Speaking about the matter on Mark Cummings programme on BBC Radio Gloucestershire this morning Gloucestershire County Council's chief executive Peter Bungard said: "If planning had failed, and that means Planning committee and an appeal had failed, we could have exited the contract for about £16 million.

"But that event did not happen. It was given planning permission on appeal and so we went into a contract.

"At any point after that we estimate the cancellation cost was around £100million."

The new energy from waste facility now under construction will stop over 90 per cent of the Gloucestershire's rubbish that can't be reused or recycled ending up in landfill.

In a statement Cllr Ray Theodoulou, deputy leader of Gloucestershire County Council, said: "This is good news. It clarifies exactly what information we are required to publish - and is clear that key commercially-sensitive information can be protected.

"We know of a number of councils across the country that are appealing against similar rulings - so this helps us all know what the legal rules are here.

"I am also really pleased to be able finally to publish the information, which makes clear what we've said all along - that the energy from the waste facility is great value for money for taxpayers, that it supports recycling, and that there are no penalty clauses.

"The new facility will save taxpayers over £100 million, make enough clean electricity to power 25,000 homes and reduce carbon emissions by 40,000 tonnes. UBB has made good progress on construction and the facility will be operational in 2019."

An updated version of the contract is available on the council's website at www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/freedom-of-information/how-can-i-request-information/