Plans to replace Stoke-on-Trent’s ageing Hanford Energy from Waste plant with a modern, cleaner and more efficient Energy Recovery Facility will be considered by the city council next week (24/02/26).
The new facility would power the equivalent of 50,000 homes and generate significant income that the Council can invest back into local recycling and net zero infrastructure projects. It would also be a major supplier of energy into the city’s District Heating Network - a linchpin of the Council's innovative Energy Strategy 2023-2033 - providing the local public buildings with low-carbon heating and hot water.
Cabinet will be asked to approve the opening of a formal procurement process to seek a partner to invest in and help design, build and run the new facility. The procurement process is likely to take 18 months, following which Cabinet will consider whether to move the project forward with a ‘Preferred Bidder’. The proposed Hanford Energy Recovery Facility could become operational in 2032.
The contract to operate the existing Hanford Energy from Waste plant ends in March 2030. By then the current facility will be 35 years old and will be reaching the end of its serviceable life. The Council has carefully explored all options and has concluded that building a new, state-of-the art Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) on the Hanford site is likely to deliver the most reliable and cost-effective long-term outcomes for the city.
This would be a bold and innovative proposal that would transform the way non-recyclable waste is managed and treated in Stoke-on-Trent and deliver significant environmental and financial benefits for the city including:
- Cleaner air – the new facility would be fitted with the very latest air pollution control systems that capture, filter and clean the gases produced during the waste treatment process. Just like the current facility, the new ERF would be continuously monitored and regulated by the Environment Agency to ensure it meets strict emissions limits, but its day-to-day environmental performance would be significantly improved.
- Powering more homes – the new facility would double electricity output compared to the existing plant, providing around 25MWe of low-carbon energy into the National Grid - enough to power up to 50,000 homes.
- Using waste to heat the city - in addition to electricity, the new ERF would also export heat captured during the waste treatment process. A network of insulated pipes would connect the ERF to public buildings around the city, including the Royal Stoke University Hospital, located just 2.5km away. This local, low-carbon source of heating and hot water would help protect the hospital and other local public services from volatile global energy prices and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- Carbon-capture ready - the new ERF would be built carbon capture-ready; a game-changing technology that literally ‘catches’ and stores carbon emissions from industrial processes that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere. This delivers huge environmental benefits, helping to combat climate change.
- Funding net zero projects across the city - the Council could become a majority stakeholder in the new ERF, by entering into a 25-year contract with a minority partner who would also invest in and help run the new facility. This would be a bold and innovative approach that could generate a significant income for the Council, turning waste treatment from a budget pressure into a long-term revenue-raiser. This is money that the Council could invest back into the city’s recycling infrastructure (to help boost recycling rates) and other carbon reduction projects.
The project could position Stoke-on-Trent as a thought leader among councils in waste, energy and decarbonisation. The new facility would be designed to treat between 230,000-290,000 tonnes of waste per year, an increase of 10%-38% compared to what is currently managed at the site. This would future-proof capacity, enabling the Council to treat the waste generated by a growing population. It would also provide a more environmentally sustainable alternative for the many millions of tonnes of non-recyclable waste each year across the UK that still ends up either being landfilled, exported abroad or incinerated in old-fashioned plants that don’t recover and export heat from the process.
The new ERF would be located on the same site as the existing Energy from Waste plant in Hanford (sometimes referred to locally as the ‘Sideway Incinerator’). The precise position and orientation of the new ERF would be influenced by detailed ground condition surveys which are currently being carried out, but it’s almost certain that the new facility would be located in the area currently occupied by the Hanford Household Waste and Recycling Centre, which would be moved to an alternative location. This would allow the existing plant to continue to operate while the new ERF is built; vital if the council is to continue to provide uninterrupted waste collection and treatment services to residents of Stoke-on-Trent. Once the new ERF is operational, the existing plant would be decommissioned and demolished.
It is recognised that this major project will potentially span the process of local government reorganisation. The council is therefore also in dialogue with government as to how that transition is best handled.
Councillor Finlay Gordon-McCusker, cabinet member for transport, infrastructure and regeneration at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “Since it opened in 1995 the Hanford Energy from Waste facility has treated over four million tonnes of rubbish, providing the Council with a safe, cost-effective and environmentally sustainable alternative to landfill. The plant is now reaching the end of its serviceable life, and we need to find an alternative long-term solution to how we manage the City’s non-recyclable rubbish. With the support of external experts, we have conducted detailed financial modelling and scenario testing to explore our options, including refurbishing the existing plant and exporting our waste outside of the area for treatment. These exercises have consistently returned the same conclusion; that building a new plant on the existing Hanford site appears to be the best option for the Council, both from an environmental and financial perspective.”
“Traditionally Councils have awarded long-term contracts to large commercial waste companies to build and operate treatment plants on their behalf, and that’s what we did back in 1995. Under these arrangements, the Council pays a ‘gate fee’ for every tonne of waste it sends to the facility, which enables the waste company to repay the debt used to fund the construction of the facility and to make an operating profit. This has been the go-to model for many decades, driven by the popularity of Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contracts during the 1990s and 2000s.
“But we want to consider doing something different; something more commercially aware and entrepreneurial. We are exploring being the majority stakeholder in the new facility, bringing on board a minority partner to help us finance, build and run it. This would require some significant upfront investment, but it means that instead of paying to use the facility, the Council would make a profit from it thanks to the sale of exported electricity and heat and gate fees charged to third-party customers to treat their waste. The Council could use this money to invest in improving the city’s recycling infrastructure and other Net Zero projects to help boost recycling rates, minimise waste and reduce our environmental impact.”
Subject to cabinet approval, the procurement process to find a minority partner for the project will commence in March 2026 and is likely to conclude in summer 2027, at which point Cabinet will be asked to approve the appointment of a ‘Preferred Bidder’ with whom the project can move forward.
Running alongside the procurement process, the council will also be seeking to secure planning permission for the new ERF which will strengthen the Council’s position in the market and help secure the best possible deal for local people.
As part of the planning application process, numerous studies will be conducted at the Hanford site to identify the potential impacts resulting from the proposed development. The Council will work with the Planning Authority and statutory consultees such as the Environment Agency and Natural England to develop plans to minimise any potential impacts that are identified. A public consultation will run during March and April 2026, giving local residents an opportunity to find out more about the project and provide their feedback. The Council will take all feedback received into account when finalising the proposals.
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