Green light for Sita's £120m energy from waste plant

Planning permission has been granted for waste management firm Sita UK to build a £120m energy-from-waste (EfW) plant in the north east that will convert 256,000 tonnes of waste into electricity every year.
The green light for the North East Energy Recovery Centre (NEERC) was given last week by Stockton-on-Tees borough council. It will be built on land adjoining an existing Sita UK energy from waste plant and will produce 21 megawatts of electricity, estimated to be enough to supply a town the size of Hartlepool.Once the site is built, Sita UK will have overall EfW capacity of 640,000 tonnes of waste and will be able to produce 50 megawatts of power.Sita UK general manager for the north east John Grainger said that the approval was "an enormous boost" for the region and that the plant, once completed, would help reduce the carbon footprints of local industries.Grainger also revealed that the company is planning to build a railhead at the site which would allow waste to be delivered by train. "This would reduce the number of lorry journeys on local roads and ensure that the company’s activities are as sustainable as possible," he said.