MIDDLESBROUGH NEWS
TV professor to open new-look STEM Centre
Teesside secures first plant for alternative fuel project
AV Dawson ’ s port facility in Teesside
has been announced as the first site for a revolutionary new alternative fuel project that will support ambitions to reduce landfill and global carbon emissions .
Waste Knot Energy has secured funding from Gresham House ’ s British Strategic Investment Fund to build its first fuel pelleting plant in Middlesbrough .
The plant will produce Waste Knot ’ s Green Knot branded pellets using nonrecyclable waste – otherwise destined for landfill or another country ’ s waste facilities . The high calorific value of the pellets makes them a reliable , low-emission bulk alternative to coal and pet-coke for energyintensive industries , such as cement and steel .
The site , due to its quayside location on the south side of the River Tees , provides a strategic entry point to serve the UK and
beyond .
The beginning of construction marked an important step towards the UK developing infrastructure to process its own waste and provide an alternative to landfill .
Once completed , the plant will create more than 20 full-time jobs and revenue within the region .
It is estimated the plant will manufacture more than 240,000 tonnes of fuel pellets each year , which will be transported within the UK by rail or exported by ship .
AV managing director Gary Dawson said : “ We are completely redeveloping a whole area of our Middlesbrough site to provide a tailored solution for the customer that gives them a purpose-built facility with immediate access to the quayside , enabling the efficient production and export of pellets around the world .”
A first look behind the scenes of a £ 2m expansion of Middlesbrough College ’ s STEM training centre has been revealed .
Construction is already under way to prepare a new Higher Education department that will support the college ’ s delivery of higher-level technical training through the Institute of Technology , announced in June .
The college will welcome back Professor Brian Cox – who officially marked the original launch of the STEM Centre in 2015 – to lead the reopening .
Computer-generated images show how 11,800 sq ft of teaching space , IT facilities , learning resource centre and staff offices will be added to the STEM centre at the college ’ s Middlehaven campus .
FW Capital delivers £ 7.5m of loans in six weeks
ANIMMERSION PROVIDES VIRTUAL SOLUTION FOR CANCELLED EVENTS
Middlesbrough-based Animmersion has secured a contract with Invertek Drives , one of the leading innovators and manufacturers of variable frequency drives , to create immersive meeting spaces for global events cancelled due to the Covid pandemic .
Wales-based Invertek designs and manufactures variable frequency drives used to control electric motors in a wide range of commercial , industrial and energysaving applications . The business exports more than 90 per cent of its products to more than 80 countries worldwide .
After the cancellation of physical events and exhibitions throughout the world , there was a requirement to provide an alternative way to connect with clients and showcase technology .
PD PORTS HELPS COMBAT HOLIDAY HUNGER
PD Ports supported a food redistribution initiative to help combat holiday hunger in the Middlesbrough area .
The company worked with FareShare NE , Middlesbrough Environment City and frontline charity Together Middlesbrough and Cleveland to redistribute thousands of food parcels .
The Summer Feast of Fun at Home programme distributed essentials such as breakfast cereals , pasta and beans to ensure families who would usually benefit from free school meals didn ’ t go without throughout the school holidays .
Each week , the port operator sent a lorry to collect 20 palettes worth of supplies before storing the goods free of charge in a warehouse at Teesport ready for doorstep distribution .
In just six weeks , FW Capital invested more than £ 7.5m in northern businesses through NPIF loans backed by the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme ( CBILS ).
The loans were delivered via NPIF – FW Capital Debt Finance , which is part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund .
FW Capital provides loans between £ 100,000 and £ 750,000 to SMEs experiencing lost or deferred revenues , leading to disruptions to their cash flow . Both new and existing customers are eligible to apply .
Since FW Capital launched its NPIF loans backed by CBILS , the funding has helped 24 businesses through two funds across the region . Businesses have received the money in an average of 17 days .
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