Member Article

50 new jobs created as Teesside power plant gets the nod

A £160m biomas power plant on Teesside has been given the go-ahead, with an estimated 50 new jobs being created.

Stockton Council has granted planning permission for the new 49 MW power station on land close to the northern side of the Transporter Bridge at Port Clarence.

The factory will be fuelled by waste wood and will be located on land adjacent to Koppers, opposite the Riverside Stadium on the North Bank of the Tees.

The new facility, which will be operated by Port Clarence Energy, is expected to be open by 2017 and will burn up to 325,000 tonnes of waste wood every year, creating energy for 50,000 homes.

It’s expected to create about 50 permanent roles and up to 350 in its construction.

Darlington planning consultancy firm Prism Planning was commissioned to work on the scheme.

Managing director Steve Barker said: “This is great news for Stockton and Teesside.

“At a time when the security of gas supplies from Russia is very much in the media spotlight after recent events, it is great to see that Stockton is helping to deliver practical alternatives.

“The work required to get this permission in place has been done in a record time and it’s a tribute to the whole team who have worked so well with Stockton Council’s members and officers to iron out all the issues and get the permission in place.”

Mr Barker also praised Stockton Council, adding: “The lack of objection to the scheme meant that the final decision was made by officers at Stockton, but Councillors and the MP had followed the debate closely and supported the proposals.

“The applicants have built a number of similar power stations around the UK and have a track record of delivery.

“They have committed to seek to use local labour and suppliers in the project which is excellent news for the Tees Valley.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Martin Walker .