NEWS
BUSINESS BITES
Welcome – Tees mayor Ben Houchen ( centre right ) shaking hands with Dimeta CEO and Circular Fuels ’ director Søren Jacobsen ( centre left ) at the Teesworks site with Teesworks development director Matt Johnson ( far right ) and other members of Circular Fuels , KEW and Dimeta boards .
TEESWORKS ’ £ 150M RENEWABLE GAS FACILITY
A
pioneering £ 150m residual wasteto-renewable gas facility is set to be established on the Teesworks site .
Circular Fuels will take non-recyclable residual waste from households and industry and convert it into renewable dimethyl ether ( rDME ), a safe , cost-effective and clean-burning fuel .
During construction , the plant will create more than 200 jobs , with more than 50 direct skilled roles and more in the supply chain coming when it begins its operations in 2024 .
When fully up and running , it will have the capacity to produce 50,000 tonnes of fuel per year .
The facility is earmarked for the Dorman Point area of Teesworks and will also be carbon capture-ready – so , when established , it has the potential to link into Net Zero Teesside , which is being spearheaded by bp , and the wider CCUS
Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen has welcomed news that the region will play host to a major government green trade event this year , further cementing the area as the UK ’ s green capital .
In the autumn , the region will welcome the Green Trade and Investment Expo , hosted alongside the Department for Business , Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Department for International Trade .
It will bring together UK businesses and global investors to capitalise on the commercial opportunities as the country continues its drive to net zero .
Mr Houchen previously called on the government to bring the expo to the region , so would-be investors could see firsthand the scale of opportunity at sites like Teesworks , and those coming thanks to the Teesside Freeport , the UK ’ s biggest and first to be operational freeport .
“ I ’ ve been pushing government for a while to make this expo a reality , so I ’ m delighted we ’ ll soon be welcoming national
infrastructure .
Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen said : “ This is yet another ground-breaking investment into low carbon energy happening right here , right now , further demonstrating how we are leading the UK in the clean energy sector and driving forward the country ’ s net zero ambitions .”
Circular Fuels is backed and majority owned by SHV Energy and UGI International – two of the world ’ s biggest liquified petroleum gas ( LPG ) companies – and sustainable energy solutions firm KEW Technology , which is providing the highefficiency and pressurised Advanced Conversion Technology used within the plant ’ s process .
“ We are thrilled to announce Teesworks as the intended site for our first industrialscale rDME production facility ,” said Søren Jacobsen , Dimeta CEO and Circular Fuels director .
Global trade expo ‘ cements region as UK ’ s green capital ’
Expo call – Tees mayor Ben Houchen .
and international investors to the region ,” he said .
“ This will allow them to see first-hand the innovative schemes in the cleaner , safer and healthier industries of tomorrow .
“ This decision proves government is sitting up and noticing what we ’ re doing to not only drive forward the country ’ s low carbon ambitions but also help set the agenda , with many world-first schemes currently in the pipeline .”
GB BANK OPENS GB Bank has officially opened the doors to its prestigious headquarters at 2 Centre Square in Middlesbrough .
The new bank welcomed staff and prominent members of the local business and property community to its offices , which boast inventive interiors and a dynamic co-working environment .
GB Bank will occupy 11,000 sq ft net of office accommodation in Middlesbrough ’ s purpose-built 2 Centre Square , which will be the base for the 50 head office staff covering finance , risk , customer management , marketing , human resources , IT , lending , savings and more .
ANYO ’ S SIX-FIGURE DEAL A Tees-based architect and interior design firm has won a six-figure contract to support the next phase of a multi-millionpound cinema and leisure complex development .
Studio Anyo , based at Fusion Hive in Stockton , will provide a package of architecture services for Stage 5 of the £ 20m development scheme at the Fieldon Bridge Retail Park in Bishop Auckland for Fieldon Bridge Developments .
DRIVING GROWTH A Teesside-headquartered driving school that launched seven months ago is now the fastest-growing school in the UK .
DRIVE , which operates nationally with its head offices in Middlesbrough , has seen its instructors on the road grow by 100 in seven months – with the business on track to hit 500 cars nationally in three years .
CAR DEALER LAUNCHED Bristol Street Motors has created 15 jobs as it opens its latest dealership in Stockton .
It follows a £ 500,000 investment from the group the brand is part of , which now holds 160 sales outlets nationwide .
The former Evans Halshaw site at Preston Farm Industrial Estate has been transformed to now include an extensive forecourt and 10-ramp service centre , as well as a kids ’ zone featuring a pool table , Xbox console and other activities .
The voice of business in the Tees region | 13