CLLR Andy Smith, Thurrock’s regeneration portfolio holder, has highlighted an item about what he’s described as “Thurrock’s secret success story” at the July 2nd cabinet meeting.
There is an item on the Thames Enterprise Park, the site which used to be the Petroplus oil refinery at Coryton and Cllr Smith said: “There has been a great deal of publicity about DP World, the Port of Tilbury, Purfleet, Lakeside and Grays, but the enterprise park and Thames Oilport has been quietly getting on with business – not least the jet-fuel-from-biofuel British Airways deal in April.
“This is a hugely exciting proposal following the unexpected closure of Petrolpus in 2012 which saw 700 jobs lost, 300 of them the jobs of Thurrock people.
“When the refinery closed, we led a task force which supported those who lost their jobs with financial advice, training and links with other opportunities – it was well received and recognised by Government as good practice at the time.”
He added: “In the past year the council has formed a strong relationship with the new owners Thames Oilport – a consortium made up of VOPAK, Shell and Greenergy, – and have been working up proposals for Thames Enterprise Park.
“Through this work an exciting vision has emerged to create a hub for energy and environmental technology companies. At 400 acres this will be the largest of its kind in the South East and has the potential to place Thurrock at the forefront of the sustainable energy sector.”
The first occupant, after Thames Oilport itself, was the GreenSky project announced in April 2014, a $550 million project employing 150 people which will convert half a million tonnes of landfill waste into liquid bio-fuel, 50,000 tonnes of which will be bio-jet fuel for British Airways.
Cllr Smith said: “We’ve always highlighted the importance of local jobs for local people and the need to provide the right training and education so local people can get those jobs.
“Here we can see those priorities and aspirations becoming fact as the council and the enterprise park have agreed to securing the maximum local benefit in jobs.
“This is currently Thurrock’s secret success story – I don’t think it will be secret for long.”
there will be 575,000 tonnes of rubbish transported to this site to be converted into 120,000 tonnes of fuel.
This could mean 35,000 lorry movements up and down the Manorway with waste lorries driving to and from the site and tankers driving to and from the site with the fuel. This is assuming the waste will be driven to the site unless barges will share the superport site delivering waste? The Manorway will become increasingly busy with port traffic as the port expands and grows and now there is the potential of 35,000 more yearly lorry movements making this road, the A13 and M25 even busier.
And what will happen to the waste by products? 575,000 tonnes of household waste is being taken to the site to create 120,000 tonnes of fuel leaving 455,000 tonnes of waste by-product unaccounted for.
Will this 455,000 tonnes of by-product be taken to landfill or incinerated on the site?
If it is to be incinerated on the site does this mean this new plant is nothing more than a massive waste incinerator sitting on Stanford-le-Hope and Corringham residents doorstep masquerading as a green fuel plant?
There are already claims of 1000 jobs – although 850 of these are in the construction of the plant and only 150 permanent jobs at the site – yet nothing about the traffic impact or what will be done with the waste by-products.
There are lots of unanswered questions and concerns for local residents still to be addressed before hailing this proposal as a secret success story.
[…] 06:59 UTC Councillor proud of secret success of Biofuel deal […]
Where there is muck, there is money. Rubbish to aviation fuel. Don’t knock it.
Is it nothing more than a waste incinerator with a few ‘green’ processes added?
Local Authorities realise that waste incinerators are controversial and the public don’t want them in their back yard. By dressing them up as ‘green electricity generators’ or ‘green fuel plants’ they hope communities can be hoodwinked and sleep walk into having a waste incinerator on their doorstep.
Yes it is amazing that 120,000 tonnes of fuel can be extracted from 575,000 tonnes of landfill waste but will this so called green company then burn 455,000 tonnes of landfill waste to generate electricity.
In Norfolk there was almost universal opposition to a waste incinerator half the size of what appears to being proposed here? http://www.klwin.com/
There is some very slick and professional PR here yet not a word on what happens to the remaining waste.
Are residents about to find themselves with a massive waste incinerator on their doorstep? Will the GreenSky project come clean with residents that they will be incinerating the 455,000 tonnes of waste leftover?
I think residents should be told.