Plans for 100+ jobs and tyre recycling plant at Port of Sunderland move closer

Norwegian company Wastefront announced plans for a £100million plant at the Port of Sunderland in August.

The firm has today, Monday, Janury 10, announced French company Technip Energies as its engineering, procurement and construction partner for construction of the facility.

Technip Energies was selected through a competitive process designed to minimise any risks with the project.

The company is now working on the final engineering design with a view to starting work on site in the second quarter of this year. The plant is expected to open in early 2024.

Subject to planning permission, around 100 construction jobs would be created with up to 30 full-time roles required once the plant opens.

Wastefront aims to convert tyres into useful commodities, including liquid hydrocarbons and carbon black, which can then be reused in processes such as alternative fuel or ground rubber manufacturing.

When fully operational, the Sunderland plant will be able to handle 80,000 tonnes of tyres a year.

And it will form the blueprint for a network of similar facilities worldwide – Wastefront and Technip Energies have agreed on a strategic partnership for the global replication of the plant.

Wastefront CEO Vianney Valès is delighted with the new partnership with Technip Energies: “Our mission is to solve complex environmental issues, through a solution that has demonstrated its full alignment with EU/UK Taxonomy targets,” he said.

"To succeed, a rigorous approach to project execution is key. Having Technip Energies endorse our approach and support our project is yet another step in our ambition to build a world scale green industrial platform.”

Arnaud Pieton, CEO of Technip Energies, said the firm was looking forward to getting to work on the Sunderland plant: “We are extremely pleased to support Wastefront in their development.

"This project, which leverages both our engineering and project management capabilities, will be led by our teams in the UK,” he said.

"It is fully aligned with our strategy to deploy our know-how and our resources to scaling up solutions accelerating the energy transition journey as well as positioning our company as a leading player of the circular economy”.

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