Multimodal logistics company, AV Dawson, has signed a 40-year-deal to site a pioneering waste-to-energy plant at its Riverside Park base in Middlesbrough, North East England.
Greenlight AD Power's energy plant is the first project in the UK to benefit from the Government's Green Investment Bank (GIB) with funding of £8m matched with funding from the private sector.
The company, which is partnered by Wilton-based Earthly Energy, has planned six schemes around the country as part of a £100m investment plan - including a second at a Redcar location - and chose Dawson's site next to the River Tees because it was strategically placed to serve the waste-to-energy requirements of a blue chip client base.
The anaerobic digestion (AD) plant will turn organic waste, such as farm slurry, food waste, and garden cuttings, into clean electricity which will be sent to the National Grid.
It will be based on the site vacated by bio-fuels firm D1 Oils, which was bought by Dawson in 2009 as part of a move to expand into other sectors, including the subsea energy market.
Gary Dawson, managing director of the family-run firm, said: "It's great to play a key part in such a pioneering project which will help cement the North East's reputation as a base for providing renewable energy power.
"It's anticipated that feedstock and by products from the AD plant will be transported by road, rail and by sea which fits in perfectly with our multi-modal freight transport activities."
Earthly Energy is at the forefront of AD development in the UK and has been developing the proposed platform for more than five years. The first plant will create 21 new jobs with more than 40 jobs involved in the construction.
Robert Starling, CEO of Earthly Energy, said: "The availability of the Dawson site, its former use, the proximity to the national grid, the location together with the infrastructure and support that AV Dawson can offer, were crucial factors in our decision to build our first plant on Teesside."
The site benefits from being next to AV Dawson's new intermodal rail freight terminal named the Tees Riverside Intermodal Park (TRIP) - which is the first phase of the company's own £10m infrastructure expansion. It includes a new deepwater quay, which will see its depth increased from 4m to 8.5m and length extended by 150m.