20 MW SITA WASTE TO ENERGY PLANT OFFICIALLY OPENED IN TEESSIDE, UK

A new 20 MW waste to energy facility in Billingham, Teesside, developed by by SITA UK, a subsidiary of Suez Environnement (Paris: SEV, Brussels: SEVB), has officially opened.

SITA explained that it developed the waste to energy plant on behalf of the South Tyne and Wear Waste Management Partnership, which comprises Gateshead, South Tyneside and Sunderland councils.

The company added that operation of the new waste to energy facility will allow the three councils to significantly reduce their reliance on landfill and provide residents with a more sustainable waste management service by using waste to produce sufficient electricity to power around 30,000 homes.

Development of the facility, which has a 256,000 tonne per year capacity, follows the award of a 25-year waste management contract in 2011 to SITA Consortium by the South Tyne and Wear Waste Management Partnership to treat 190,000 tonnes of waste that isn’t either recycled or composted, every year.

Construction of the new facility began in September 2011 and was completed in April 2014. More than 1800 skilled professionals were employed during the building period, with a further 42 full-time, permanent jobs created to operate the facility.

The company said that an additional 24 jobs have been created in the operation of three new waste transfer stations developed at Wrekenton in Gateshead, Middlefields in South Tyneside and Hendon in Sunderland.

Waste arriving at the transfer stations is sorted, with some additional waste recovered for recycling before being loaded into larger vehicles for transport to Teesside.

Councillor Peter Mole MBE, chair of the South Tyne and Wear Waste Management Partnership’s Joint Executive Committee, said the new facilities will: “Divert over 95% of our waste away from landfill and, instead, put it to good use – either by recycling it into new products and compost or treating it to produce electricity.”

“In fact, even the ash that comes from burning the waste is recycled into building materials,” he added.

SITA UK’s equity partners in the consortium are Lend Lease Infrastructure (EMEA) Ltd and I-Environment Investments Ltd (ITOCHU Corporation).

The £727 million deal was one of the first waste private finance initiative projects funded by banks to reach financial close under the competitive dialogue process. The funders are Credit Agricole, BBVA and Natixis.

The facility was officially opened by His Royal Highness, The Duke of Kent.