Teesside, England: Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council has recently approved Sita UK's planning application to develop a state-of-the-art energy-from-waste (Efw) facility at Haverton Hill, near Billingham on Teesside.
The borough's planning committee gave unanimous backing for the North East Energy Recovery Centre (NEERC) which will be built on land adjacent to the company's existing Tees Valley energy-from-waste facility.
Sita UK's enrgy from waste facility at Haverton Hill on Teesside
Welcoming Stockton Council's decision, John Grainger, SITA UK's General Manager in the north east said:
"This is great news and the approval is an enormous boost for the whole north east region and will help confirm the Tees Valley as a centre for energy recovery.
"Construction of this plant will provide hundreds of jobs and there'll be around forty new full-time skilled jobs to run the facility when it's operational.
The NEERC could manage up to 256,000 tonnes of household and commercial waste each year and produce 21MW of electricity, sufficient to power all the homes in a town the size of Hartlepool. This will make the overall Efw complex the largest in the UK with the potential capability of handling in excess of 600,000 tonnes of waste per annum.
John Grainger concluded:
"With this approval, the company has the total capacity to handle around 640,000 tonnes of waste and generate over 50MW of electricity at its two facilities in the Tees Valley.
"Investment on a scale such as this will be a key factor for the ongoing economic viability of the Tees Valley area in a climate of economic downturn and uncertainty."
This 'new generation' energy-from-waste facility involves an investment in excess of £120million, will reduce the need for landfill and help combat climate change in the region.
Combined heat and power
The NEERC will also be capable of providing heat and power to local industries, which will reduce their energy needs and hence their carbon footprint with the reduction of the use of fossil fuels.
Sita UK and GrowHow UK Ltd, one of the country's biggest manufacturers of ammonia and nitric acid, have been discussing potential opportunities for the supply of energy from the Efw facility to GrowHow's operation in Billingham.
Railhead
Sita UK is also including provision for a railhead to be built to serve the NEERC which offers the potential for waste transport by rail, reducing the number of lorry journeys on local roads. The company says that the rail connection could also be made available to other businesses in the area if there is demand
