Issue 24 | Page 7

NEWS
2021 WILL BE OUR YEAR
Big news - PD Ports CEO Frans Calje .

PD PORTS SECURES SECOND £ 430M WASTE-TO-ENERGY PROJECT

PD Ports is set to bring a second

waste-to-energy plant to the Tees
Valley , attracting £ 430m of private investment and creating hundreds of new jobs .
The signed agreement with Wentworth Clean Power will deliver a second advanced project , also based by Teesport Commerce Park , with an annual capacity of 250,000 tonnes of specialist feedstocks and an electrical output of up to 18MWe – enough to power more than 16,000 homes in the region .
The project will also generate usable heat and offer the potential for direct heat supply to local and planned developments in the area , together with direct electrical supply .
The news came weeks after PD Ports announced a £ 230m deal to bring a waste-to-energy plant to the region , firmly
Fund managers support Tees Businesswomen Awards

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Wynyard-based firm that provides services to help businesses with loans and financial support has become the latest advocate of the Tees Businesswomen Awards 2020 .
FW Capital will sponsor the wine package for the event , which is taking place virtually on January 14 2021 .
“ Our region ’ s businesswomen who have worked their socks off this difficult year deserve recognition ,” said FW Capital ’ s Alexandra Gent .
“ We ’ ve been aware of the Tees positioning the port operator , and the Tees Valley , at the forefront of the clean energy revolution .
Subject to planning approval , this second project will boast a 30-acre footprint and generate 250-300 full-time jobs during the construction phase and up to 50 further full-time jobs when operational , including highly skilled engineering posts . The site is expected to be fully operational in the second half of 2025 .
PD Ports ’ CEO Frans Calje was delighted to have secured both projects for the region .
“ This is fantastic news for the whole of the Tees Valley ,” he said .
“ We have secured over £ 600m of private investment to bring these state-of-theart facilities to our region that will , in turn , create jobs , boost prosperity and place us at the forefront of the net-zero agenda .”
FW Capital ' s Alexandra Gent ( left ) with awards organiser Julie Burniston .
Businesswomen Awards since their inception and understand what a fantastic role they play .
“ During the last five years , FW Capital ’ s female workforce has increased and we now have more than 50 per cent female employees .”

Our team at Teesside International Airport made a landmark deal in securing its long-term success as we approached the end of the year . Against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic – during which , by the end of 2020 , UK airports are projected to lose at least £ 4bn following a 99 per cent fall in passengers – our airport has been going all-out to ensure a bright future when this is all a distant memory .

We ’ ve always made it clear our ambition to attract a low-cost airline is a key element in our ten-year turnaround plan to grow passenger numbers to more than a million by 2029 – and we ’ re still on course to meet this .
And the latest boost came with the announcement that we ’ re bringing Ryanair on board for low-cost summer 2021 breaks to Alicante and Palma , Majorca .
These are two of the most traditionally popular routes for people in the Tees Valley , North- East and North Yorkshire .
Now we can give passengers even more options for holiday breaks next year as a coronavirus vaccine is becoming a reality and quarantine times are being cut if you have a negative test – great news for the travel industry .
We have been working for the business community and staycationers by introducing a host of domestic flights , linking back up with London Heathrow after more than a decade . Now there ’ s more great news for holidaymakers .
But we ’ re not resting on our laurels – the airport is in constant talks with airlines on new opportunities at home and abroad .
Coronavirus remains an immediate concern across global aviation , but we ’ re bucking the trend to make 2021 the year Teesside Airport truly takes off .
Phil Forster Commercial director , Teesside International Airport
The voice of business in the Tees region | 7