Plans submitted for recycling plant that will create 100 jobs
Dozens of new jobs are to be created as the Port of Sunderland’s green revolution forges ahead.
QuantafuelSunderlandLtd – part of a specialist recycling company based in Norway – is applying for permission to build a plastics processing plant on a 12-acre site on the eastern edge of the port.
The plant will take plastics that are not currently recycled from across the north of England and melt them down so the raw materials can be used again.
The firm’s first plant in the UK will recycle plastics to produce a substitute for fossil oil, reducing C02 emissions by about 50% compared to incineration. The oil produced will be used to produce new, highquality products.
Quantafuel held a number ofconsultationeventswiththe community in March and distributed leaflets to thousands of homes, inviting people to find out more about the plans.
The planning application is expected to be registered by SunderlandCityCouncilinthe next few days and will then be available to view online.
Last month, Quantafuel signed an option agreement with the Leader of Sunderland City Council, Councillor Graeme Miller, which gave the
company first option to develop the land.
Lars Rosenløv, CEO of Quantafuel, said: “New facilities are needed to help deal with plastic waste and we believe this proposal is a longterm,
sustainable alternative to incineration and landfill that will provide significant environmentalbenefits,whilst also creating new jobs in Sunderland.
“We have considered our
plans in detail and have consultedwidelywiththecommunity and are delighted to have now submitted a planning application. We look forward to further engagement with the community during the summer as we await the outcome of the planning decision in autumn.”
Earlierthisyear,Norwegian company WasteFront AS was given planning permission to buildanewsustainabletyrerecycling plant at the port, creating 70 jobs.
Deputy city council leader Coun Claire Rowntree said the authority had worked hard to attract investment into the port: “The port is key to the city’s development plans and we continue to invest in it to develop our rail, road, and sea links,whicharevitaltoattracting such global investment.
"We look forward to working with Quantafuel as it develops its plans through the planning process.”
Subjecttoplanningpermission, Quantafuel is planning to have the plastics recycling plant operational in 2024, creating around 100 new, longterm jobs.
It will also support around 200 jobs during construction and create training and apprenticeship opportunities.
The facility will be able to process around 100,000 tonnes of low-value plastic waste, such as soft food packaging and a variety of domestic and industrial plastics.
After heating and melting the plastics, it will transform the waste into raw materials that can be used again in the production of high-grade plastic.
The raw materials producedwillbeshippedfromthe porttocustomersinthepetrochemical industry, while gas produced will be used to power the plant.
Formoreinformation,goto www.quantafuel.com