Four companies committed to Teesworks and ten more lined up

TVCA subsidiary South Tees Development Corporation (STDC) is responsible for remediating the thousands of acres of land at the former Redcar steelworks. So far it has sold plots to Teesworks Ltd - a company 90 per cent owned by private investors led by Chris Musgrave and Martin Corney - who through an agreement known as a wrap lease, lease it back to TVCA, who subsequently lease it to the end users.

The two known companies to have completed paperwork before now are SeAH Wind - who are building an enormous factory for offshore wind turbine monopiles - and BP-backed Net Zero Teesside - who are building a gas-fired power station that will also use carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS) technology to mitigate its emissions.

While TVCA refused to reveal the third and fourth companies to have completed agreements to become tenants on the grounds of commercial sensitivity and non-disclosure agreements, planning permission was granted by Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council in June for Circular Fuels Ltd to progress plans for a waste-to-energy plant.

The factory will convert non-recyclable waste into carbon dimethyl ether (DME) - a gas with similar properties to LPG, and will be expected to connect to CCUS infrastructure on the wider Teesworks site.

A planning application was recently submitted by Willis Sustainable Fuels to build a refinery to create what it calls “Sustainable Aviation Fuel” by converting industrial waste CO2 and green hydrogen into aircraft fuel.

If completed, both will be at the Dorman Point area of the site; a 140 acre plot to the West of Tees Dock Road.

Meanwhile, Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen shared the news on his social media this week that Green Lithium - a company planning to produce a lithium refinery on Teesside for electric vehicle batteries - has been awarded UK Government funding to help advance its plans.

When asked by a user on Instagram if the planned lithium refinery was located on land owned by PD Ports - the neighbouring port company currently being sued in the High Court by STDC over land access rights - Lord Houchen incorrectly replied that the refinery would be on land owned by chemical company Wilton International.

A spokesperson for TVCA confirmed “the mayor is responsible for comments made by him on his social media pages.”

They added that they did not believe paperwork between PD Ports and Green Lithium had been completed. While the status of tenancy paperwork is not known, The Yorkshire Post understands both parties have working agreements in place which commit each other to the project.

The High Court trial between PD Ports and STDC began hearing from expert witnesses on Thursday, and is expected to last until November 3, with a decision from judge Mr Justice Rajah potentially not delivered until a later date.