Biomass energy plant for Teesside

Work on a £160M biomass energy plant on Teesside is set to kick-off shortly.

Following in the footsteps of a number of similar projects in East Anglia and Lincolnshire, the Port Clarence Renewable Energy Plant will generate electricity to power around 75,000 homes across the Tees Valley and in the North East, as well as create 300 jobs at the peak of the construction period.

Local engineers from WSP/Parsons Brinckerhoff’s Middlesbrough office are providing project management, programme and design review services, and supervising the construction of the steel-framed biomass plant from start to completion.

The construction of the plant is being carried out by a Babcock & Wilcox Volund and Lagan Construction Group JV in partnership with Eco2.

Biomass is an important source of renewable energy using material derived from living, or recently living organisms such as wood, plants and animal waste to generate electricity. In the first quarter of 2015, electricity generation from biomass provided 7% of the UK’s overall renewable energy production.

The Port Clarence Energy project will predominantly use waste from wood chips. The remaining feedstock will be sourced from construction, demolition and civic amenities sites as well as packaging, meaning that the plant will have a very limited carbon footprint.

WSP/Parsons Brinckerhoff Energy Project Manager Phil Morland said: “This low carbon development is important as an addition to the north east economy and for helping the UK achieve its 2020 renewable energy targets. We are working collaboratively with key stakeholders to ensure that the project meets and exceeds our client’s expectations.”