The seven North East councils in the UK comprised of Durham County, Newcastle City, Middlesbrough and the Boroughs of Darlington, Hartlepool, Redcar and Cleveland, and Stockton-on-Tees, has received a total of nine bids to develop the Tees Valley Energy Recovery Facility Project on a 25-acre brownfield site in Grangetown. 

Of the nine submissions, the councils have determined Viridor, Suez, and Green Recovery Projects Ltd, owned by FCC Environment and Icon, to proceed to the next phase of the tender round through Viridor Waste Management Ltd; Suez Recycling and Recovery Ltd; and Green Recovery Projects Ltd., respectively. For the next six months, the seven councils will meet with the three companies to clarify the aspects of their individual proposals. The final submission of the proposal for tender is expected to happen by the end of November 2021. 

The project involves the development, construction, commissioning, financing, and operation of the energy recovery facility (ERF) to receive and treat all of the residual municipal solid waste collected by each of the local authorities. The facility will be located in Hartlepool Borough in the UK. The project can accommodate up to at least 450 000 tonnes of waste per annum towards the end of the term. 

As a sustainable solution, the ERF will be required to generate electricity from the waste treated and is to be constructed with the capacity for heat offtake. The private partner will also be responsible for all handling (including storage, marketing, and recycling) of any residues from the facility. The chosen developer will build and operate the facility for 29 years with a possible extension of 11 years. The operation and ownership of the facility will be reverted back to the council on the expiry of the contract.