Plea for Durham council to leave TVERF incinerator rejected

Protesters gathered outside Durham County Hall last week in an attempt to convince the council to back out of a joint deal for the Tees Valley Energy Recovery Facility (TVERF).

The new facility, set to be built near Redcar in Teesside, is supported by a partnership of seven local authorities in the North East, including Durham County Council. 

Activists have campaigned for years against the building of the TVERF, amid concerns about its environmental impact and financial cost. The facility could burn up to 450,000 tonnes of waste every year but critics say that it would harm efforts to increase recycling.

Campaigners have mounted pressure on Durham County Council since Reform UK took control earlier this year and recently renewed their efforts ahead of a full council meeting. 

One placard read: “It’s never too late to back out now from the biggest mistake you’ll ever make. Why spend billions of taxpayer funds over 30 years when you don’t have to.”

Others called on the local authority to “stop the burn” and prioritise new recycling methods. The contract for the development, which councils say is required to deal with residual waste that would otherwise be sent to landfill, could run for up to 40 years and has been valued at more than £2 billion.

The protesters’ calls were supported by Green Party Councillor Jonathan Elmer, who tabled a motion in the council chamber against the incinerator project. 

Cllr Elmer said: “Instead of entering into this risky and unfavourable contract, and instead of leaving the council as a hostage to fortune, the council could and should position itself to take full advantage of cheaper, greener, and proven alternatives.

“The council will be locked into a 29-year contract and during this time will not be able to move to emerging, cheaper options. Incinerators have an appalling impact on the health of local people – would you be supporting this incinerator if you lived downwind?”

Council leaders pledged to support the TVERF in October despite initial suggestions that the administration did not support it. 

Councillor Kyle Genner, cabinet member for neighbourhoods, environment and police relations, said the project has been scrutinised by several administrations over six years. 

“TVERF is by far the best option we have available to us and anybody who has looked at this seriously knows that to be the case. It’s the best option financially and environmentally. 

“This project has been scrutinised up and down, inside out, and from every possible angle. What’s the main conclusion? TVERF is the best way forward.”

Cllr Elmer’s plea was voted down by the council by 74 votes to three. 

The TVERF is scheduled to open in 2029 and it is said that it would generate enough electricity to power 60,000 homes, as well as saving nearly 100,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year compared to landfill.