The plant is to be developed in partnership with PMAC Energy, the waste processing company which first unveiled plans for the project in July 2018 (see letsrecycle.com story).
With its completion expected in 2025, the EfW plant will process between 350,000 and 450,000 tonnes of residual waste each year and generate up to 49.9MW of electricity for the local grid.
Roy Bedlow, founder and chief executive of Low Carbon, said: “The 49.9MW subsidy-free Redcar Energy Centre will use proven conventional technology to provide a reliable source of controllable energy for more than 100,000 homes.
“It will divert more than 350,000 tonnes of waste away from landfill, add flexibility to the fuel and recycling supply chains and provide hundreds of jobs to an area with a proud industrial heritage.”
Low Carbon said the plant would deliver more than £300 million of inward investment to the region.
Included with the planning permission is consent for the development of a material recovery facility (MRF) adjacent to the plant. The MRF will be able to process and recycle up to 200,000 tonnes of municipal, commercial and industrial waste each year.
Net Zero
The plant will occupy a 25-acre brownfield site within the Redcar Bulk Terminal (RBT) on the River Tees. Its “strong” road, rail and port links, Low Carbon says, will mean it can participate in both UK and European waste-derived fuel markets.
Low Carbon says its location will allow it to offer “zero emission energy from waste” in partnership with the Net Zero Teesside Carbon Capture project, which is next door to the site. Suez and BP signed a memorandum of understanding to explore undertaking the “UK’s first” carbon capture and storage project from EfW in November 2020 (see letsrecycle.com story).
Long-term goal
Low Carbon says the development of the Redcar Energy Centre will see more than 400 workers employed during the 36-month construction phase. It will generate more than 100 full time positions once operational.
“It has been a long-term goal of PMAC Energy to develop a large-scale sustainable energy from waste recovery centre in the North East”
The project team will engage a range of fuel suppliers for the project, Low Carbon says, and it welcomes discussions with potential partners during the next six to 12 months to ensure a “fundable yet flexible” long-term feedstock solution.
Robert Lewis, founder of PMAC Energy, said: “It has been a long-term goal of PMAC Energy to develop a large-scale sustainable energy from waste recovery centre in the North East and we are proud to have Low Carbon’s support in developing the Redcar Energy Centre.
“We have used our extensive experience handling and processing waste derived fuels throughout Europe to design a flexible solution for both waste management and energy recovery to support the growing list of future developments in the neighbouring South Tees area that require renewable energy direct.”
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