A group representing local councils who are building an energy-from-waste (EfW) incinerator in North East England has hit back after a local MP criticised the project and called for it to be halted.
The Tees Valley Energy Recovery Facility (TVERF) is a joint venture between seven North East councils – Darlington, Hartlepool, Redcar & Cleveland, Stockton-on-Tees, Middlesbrough, Durham County and Newcastle City – which will burn over 400,000 tonnes of unrecyclable waste each year to generate electricity on the Teesworks site.
Labour MP for Redcar Anna Turley wrote to the councils responsible stating her opposition to the project last week on the grounds that residents in Grangetown, adjacent to the planned incinerator, had expressed concerns about the health implications of the new facility being built.
In response, the TVERF partners described recent media coverage and opposition to waste incineration as “scaremongering.”
The project partners criticised a BBC investigation published in October, saying it was “highly selective” and did not “reflect the operational realities” of energy-from-waste facilities. They were also critical of local activists, who have been included in local press coverage.
In September, healthcare professionals were among those who protested outside Newcastle Civic Centre against plans to send the city’s waste to Teesside. One of the protestors, Dr Matthew Keegan, said at the time: “This project will result in waste from across the whole region getting dumped on an area that has already been overburdened by pollution, inequality and government neglect.”
His sentiments were echoed in Ms Turley’s criticisms. “Communities across Grangetown,” she wrote, “feel they are being asked to bear a disproportionate burden in the region’s waste management strategy.”
She continued: “Grangetown, in particular, has shouldered more than its fair share of industrial developments.
“It is time to explore alternative solutions that better balance the needs for the region with the wellbeing of local residents.”
Operator to be selected by summer 2025
TVERF’s response was signed by Hartlepool Council managing director Denise McGuckin, whose council is leading management of the project on behalf of the six other authorities.
“Regarding day-to-day operations,” she wrote, “EfW facilities are among the most highly regulated industrial installations in Europe and must meet strict conditions regarding emissions, odours and a range of other factors. They are subject to constant monitoring and often operate at just a fraction of permitted emissions levels with no detrimental impact on air quality.
“The Environment Agency granted an environmental permit for the facility in 2024, confirming its satisfaction that the proposals will comply with all applicable regulatory requirements, and the UK Health Security Agency has no objection to the continued use of energy recovery – building on decades of scientific study looking into potential health effects of EfW operations.”
After describing campaigners’ arguments as “scaremongering”, Ms McGuckin said their protests were “designed to undermine confidence in a vital, mature, proven technology we all rely on, both now and in the future, and generates unnecessary concern within the community.”
She referred to two other EfW projects in the immediate area – Wilton 11, which burns roughly 400,000 tonnes of waste a year transported from Merseyside, and the Haverton Hill incinerators which would potentially be replaced by the TVERF project.
“Since entering service,” she argued, “these facilities have operated safely and largely anonymously for many years now with no individual or cumulative negative impact on local air quality, health or amenity.”
The TVERF project is currently considering two bids from potential operators to design, build, finance and operate the facility for 29 years, with an option to extend for a further 11.
Viridor and Green Recovery Projects are the two bidders left in the procurement process, with a decision expected by the middle of 2025 and the incinerator to be fully operational by late 2029.
The incinerator will have a connection to the national grid but could potentially offload electricity to tenants at the Teesworks site via private wire. It was announced in October that North West Electricity Networks had been selected as joint venture partner to build and operate what would be the largest private wire network in the UK at the Teesworks site.
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