Construction starts on Teesside EfW plant

Construction has begun at an energy-from-waste (EfW) plant in Teesside which will supply the government with electricity.

As part of the government’s Energy for Growth initiative, a 20 year deal has been signed between the Cabinet Office – via the Government Procurement Service – and the EfW developer, Air Products.

The deal for the Tees Valley 2 (TV2) facility will see the government purchase the plant’s output, which represents 2 per cent of the government’s energy spend.

The facility has a 49MW capacity, and will be developed alongside the Tees Valley 1 (TV1) plant, which has the same capacity and signed a similar deal with the government in July last year.

The TV2 facility is expected to be online by 2016, while the TV1 plant is due to be in commercial operation in 2015.

There will be up to 750 jobs created during the construction phase, and 50 permanent jobs once TV2 is operational.

The EfW facility will be able to generate power from up to 350,000 tonnes of non-recyclable commercial and industrial waste.

Minister for the Cabinet Office Francis Maude, who attended broke ground at the site this morning, said: “The new facility is a flagship for our Energy for Growth programme, supporting jobs in the North East and generating reliable, renewable energy while also saving taxpayers money.

“These projects demonstrate that the UK is an excellent market for investing in innovative new technology.

“Importantly, the Air Products project provides a solution to the UK’s waste management challenge whilst strengthening the country’s energy security.”

David Taylor, Air Product’s energy business vice-president, added: “Our agreement with the Cabinet Office serves a strong endorsement to our state-of-the-art renewable energy projects and to the Teesside area as a leading renewable energy technology centre.”