Hartlepool Managing Director, Denise McGuckin, said: “The project partners are naturally disappointed not to progress to negotiations with DESNZ for relevant Business Model support to help deploy carbon capture and storage (CCS) at the TV ERF from 2026 onwards. We considered our shortlisted project to be a natural front-runner given its ideal location within the East Coast Cluster and the sound financial underpinning of the project as an essential public infrastructure asset but we note that no other waste projects were selected within the East Coast Cluster and congratulate those within the cluster who have been successful. We welcome the announcement today that DESNZ will look to expand Track 1 to pursue additional projects within the cluster for delivery by 2030.

In the meantime, regardless of the implementation of CCS, the TV ERF remains a vital infrastructure project for the North-East and, importantly, continues to offer a lower-carbon treatment solution for residual waste than landfill – which is the only viable alternative. Once operational, the carbon emissions performance of the TV ERF will continue to improve in perpetuity with the implementation of other policy drivers to decarbonise feedstock, and through contractual obligations on the chosen tenderer to reduce carbon emissions associated with the operation year on year over the lifetime of the contract. 

We continue to progress through the procurement process with our short-listed tenderers and expect to announce a Preferred Tenderer later this year. We look forward to working with the Preferred Tenderer and other stakeholders in due course to deliver the TV ERF from 2026.”