MORE than two years after work was expected to commence on a building major new industrial plant on the riverside in Grays, neighbouring on the town's riverside park and close to the Thames waterfront, its backers have now said construction is due to start.

In September 2022 Resource recovery business, Viridor announced its intention to start construction on its Thameside Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) on land that lies within the bounds of the Port of Tilbury but is effectively in Grays. A planning application for development of the site in two phases first surfaced in 2009 but it has been a long haul to get to today's position.

Planning permission was originally sought from the new defunct Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation, with the government then taking responsibility for dealing with the application.

The full planning history of the complete site, including the plant that is currently operating, can be found via this link.

The new plant will sit adjacent to an operational biomass plant which processes around 270,000 tonnes per year of waste wood, with a 300,000-tonne capacity. It is owned by Tilbury Green Power Ltd.

Viridor says the new site has been granted planning consent from the Government, and construction will begin shortly, marking the next phase of the project.

Thameside ERF will be a new 'energy from waste facility' recovering energy from residual black bag (non-recycled) waste. The facility will treat up to 350,000 tonnes of waste annually, generating enough energy to power the equivalent of 93,000 homes.

"We are excited to begin construction on the Thameside ERF," said Patrick Daws, Head of ERF Projects at Viridor. "Site clearance and preparation works already took place earlier this year, and we will be laying the foundations of the facility and starting work on key structures shortly."

Viridor says it wants to be a good neighbour to the communities surrounding the facility and is actively engaging with the Tilbury community through the Tilbury Liaison Committee, providing a platform for residents to stay informed and share their input.

However it appears to be focussing its communication effort on Tilbury residents, even though the nearest home in Tilbury is more than a kilometre away. The port entry is in Tilbury, but with service roads away from residential areas.

The nearest homes in Grays are just 300m away.

The new site - in green. The aerial pictures shows the proximity to Grays homes.

Viridor says it is planning to extend its We Share community fund and is looking to make donations to organisations that are best placed to serve local people such as schools, sports associations, charities and foodbanks.

Regular updates on the Thameside ERF project will be provided through newsletters and on the Viridor website. The Tilbury Liaison Committee, now led by Viridor, will hold quarterly meetings to ensure open communication between the site and the community.

For further details on Viridor, visit www.viridor.co.uk. Or contact the team at [email protected] or call 01375 806470.