Council leaders have pledged to get “the best value for money” from a North East waste incinerator deal.
Durham County Council told campaigners it is in ongoing discussions alongside six other North East authorities on the Tees Valley Energy Recovery Facility (TVERF) contract.
Environmental campaigners have railed against the project, which would see 450,000 tonnes of rubbish sent to be burned at the proposed incinerator near Redcar each year, fearing that it will lead to more pollution and harm efforts to recycle more and reduce waste.
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.
Yet, campaigners have questioned why no financial risk assessment is publicly available for the building and operations of the facility.
Responding to the concerns, councillor Kyle Genner told a council meeting: “I would like to assure the public that a great deal more work and financial modelling has been diligently done, and this Reform administration has gone to great lengths to ensure that Durham and the wider body of councils that make up the group get the best possible value for money, should a commitment be made to the TVERF.”
It comes after Andrew Husband, council leader, previously said that his office had been “inundated” with concerns about the TVERF from residents and that county council officers had been instructed to “look at the legalities of exiting this horrible deal”.
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Darlington Borough Council, which is also signed up to the deal, continues to support it despite opposition from rival political parties.
The TVERF is scheduled to open in 2029 and is reported to generate enough electricity to power 60,000 homes, as well as save nearly 100,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year compared to landfill.
Cllr Genner, cabinet member for neighbourhoods, environment and police relations, added: “We are still in a public procurement process. We have appointed a preferred tenderer. Since they were appointed, we have been in dialogue and have already achieved substantial savings in comparison to the original deal, and we are confident we can achieve even more value. Watch this space.”
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