TEESSIDE’S industrial skyline is changing rapidly as work continues on waste-to-energy plants, which are creating and supporting hundreds of North-East jobs.

Air Products is building factories on land near the North Tees Chemical Complex, at Billingham, near Stockton.

Bosses say the sister plants will create energy for about 100,000 North-East homes every year, by using plasma technology to burn thousands of tonnes of domestic and commercial waste destined for landfill.

A spokesman told The Northern Echo its first factory, which will create 50 permanent jobs, has completed its commissioning phase and is expected to start commercial operations later this year.

The second factory, which will create another 50 jobs, is due to start commercial work next year.

The two factories have provided employment for hundreds of people during the construction phase, and will stand as the largest of their kind in the UK.

The development is backed by the Government's Energy for Growth scheme, which aims to save taxpayers' money by securing a fixed price on electricity from suppliers.

The Cabinet Office previously agreed a deal to buy power output from the second plant for the next 20 years, which ministers predict will save £97m and meet two per cent of the Government’s overall energy consumption.

David Taylor, Air Products’ energy business vice-president, previously told The Northern Echo: “Our second site is of great importance because it continues our growth in an area that forms a major part of our operations.

“The factory will be largely similar to our first plant but the significant part here is we are going to supply the Cabinet Office under a long-term contract, and we are very proud to contribute to that programme.

“We know the North-East, it's not a new area for us and we like being here.

“As a company, we've been in the UK for more than 50 years and know this region from our chemical operations on the old ICI site.

“The area has all the attributes we need.”