Portrack Incinerator
Encyclopedia
The Portrack Incinerator was a municipal waste
incinerator and waste-to-energy
power station
situated on the River Tees
at Portrack
in Stockton-on-Tees
in County Durham
, England.
, Stockton on Tees, Redcar & Cleveland and Hartlepool
. It was praised as an environmentally friendly answer to waste management on Teesside. The plant burned approximately 200,000 tonnes of waste every year and had the potential capacity to generate 20 megawatts (MW) of electricity although it never actually did so. Ash from the incinerator was sent to landfill and ferrous metal baled and sold on as scrap. During the 1980s, a former quarry at Whitton
was used as a site to dump the incinerator's ash.
In the early 1990s, Northumbrian Water and Internal Technology Europe Ltd.
applied for planning permission to build a sludge
incinerator alongside the waste incinerator. These plans were refused, despite an appeal in 1992.
The incinerator was closed down in November 1996, after failing to meet new emission regulations. The plant was then demolished and its site cleared between 1998 and 2000. The incinerator's 300 feet (91.4 m) tall chimney was demolished on 14 March 1999. The budget for the demolition went into the red in early 2000. The north part of the site was used as the Stockton civic amenity dump, until it closed in December 2001.
The incinerator was superseded by the Teesside WTE Power Station
a couple of miles down river at Haverton Hill
.
The site is managed by Tees Valley Wildlife Trust
who have placed several interpretation boards around the site for the visitor.
At the site's blocked-off northern road entrance is a public sculpture entitled Germination (2005) commissioned by Tees Valley Wildlife.
.
After clearing the incinerator site it was planted with hedgerows, oak trees and sown with wildflower seeds.
However the concrete base of the incinerator still remains under the site—a fact that may account for the extremely dense vegetation.
Waste
Waste is unwanted or useless materials. In biology, waste is any of the many unwanted substances or toxins that are expelled from living organisms, metabolic waste; such as urea, sweat or feces. Litter is waste which has been disposed of improperly...
incinerator and waste-to-energy
Waste-to-energy
Waste-to-energy or energy-from-waste is the process of creating energy in the form of electricity or heat from the incineration of waste source. WtE is a form of energy recovery...
power station
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
situated on the River Tees
River Tees
The River Tees is in Northern England. It rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the North Pennines, and flows eastwards for 85 miles to reach the North Sea between Hartlepool and Redcar.-Geography:...
at Portrack
Portrack
Portrack is a housing estate in Stockton-on-Tees. It is situated close to Billingham opposite Thornaby and just West of Middlesbrough. Portrack was the site of a large municipal incinerator which took in and burned waste from all over Teesside. The incinerator was closed in 1996 and demolished in...
in Stockton-on-Tees
Stockton-on-Tees
Stockton-on-Tees is a market town in north east England. It is the major settlement in the unitary authority and borough of Stockton-on-Tees. For ceremonial purposes, the borough is split between County Durham and North Yorkshire as it also incorporates a number of smaller towns including...
in County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
, England.
History
The incinerator was opened in 1975 to burn the domestic waste of the four local authorities of MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
, Stockton on Tees, Redcar & Cleveland and Hartlepool
Hartlepool
Hartlepool is a town and port in North East England.It was founded in the 7th century AD, around the Northumbrian monastery of Hartlepool Abbey. The village grew during the Middle Ages and developed a harbour which served as the official port of the County Palatine of Durham. A railway link from...
. It was praised as an environmentally friendly answer to waste management on Teesside. The plant burned approximately 200,000 tonnes of waste every year and had the potential capacity to generate 20 megawatts (MW) of electricity although it never actually did so. Ash from the incinerator was sent to landfill and ferrous metal baled and sold on as scrap. During the 1980s, a former quarry at Whitton
Whitton, County Durham
Whitton is a village within the borough of Stockton-on-Tees and the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It is situated to the north west of Stockton-on-Tees, near Stillington and Thorpe Thewles.-Landmarks:...
was used as a site to dump the incinerator's ash.
In the early 1990s, Northumbrian Water and Internal Technology Europe Ltd.
Northumbrian Water
Northumbrian Water Group plc is the holding company for several companies in the water supply, sewerage and waste water industries. NWG's largest subsidiary is Northumbrian Water Limited , which is one of ten companies in England and Wales that are regulated water supply and sewerage utilities...
applied for planning permission to build a sludge
Sludge
Sludge refers to the residual, semi-solid material left from industrial wastewater, or sewage treatment processes. It can also refer to the settled suspension obtained from conventional drinking water treatment, and numerous other industrial processes...
incinerator alongside the waste incinerator. These plans were refused, despite an appeal in 1992.
The incinerator was closed down in November 1996, after failing to meet new emission regulations. The plant was then demolished and its site cleared between 1998 and 2000. The incinerator's 300 feet (91.4 m) tall chimney was demolished on 14 March 1999. The budget for the demolition went into the red in early 2000. The north part of the site was used as the Stockton civic amenity dump, until it closed in December 2001.
The incinerator was superseded by the Teesside WTE Power Station
Teesside WTE Power Station
Teesside Energy from Waste plant is a municipal waste incinerator and waste-to-energy power station, which provides 29.2 megawatts of electricity for the National Grid by burning 390,000 tonnes of household and commercial waste a year...
a couple of miles down river at Haverton Hill
Haverton Hill
Haverton Hill is an area within the borough of Stockton-on-Tees and ceremonial county of County Durham, England.It is situated to the north of the River Tees, near Billingham. The A1046 is the main road linking to Stockton and the A19 in the west and Port Clarence and the A178 in the east.- History...
.
Portrack Meadows Wildlife Reserve
After the Portrack Incinerator site was cleared it was transformed into a site for recreation and wildlife and named Portrack Meadows Wildlife Reserve.The site is managed by Tees Valley Wildlife Trust
Tees Valley Wildlife Trust
The Tees Valley Wildlife Trust is a wildlife trust covering the Tees Valley area of England. Its area of operation corresponds to the four unitary authorities of Hartlepool, Stockton-on-Tees, Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland, covering parts of the ceremonial counties of County Durham and...
who have placed several interpretation boards around the site for the visitor.
At the site's blocked-off northern road entrance is a public sculpture entitled Germination (2005) commissioned by Tees Valley Wildlife.
Flora
Many trees were planted around the incinerator to screen it off, but when the site was cleared to give other plants a chance to grow, many of these trees were pollardedPollarding
Pollarding is a pruning system in which the upper branches of a tree are removed, promoting a dense head of foliage and branches. It has been common in Great Britain and Europe since medieval times and is practiced today in urban areas worldwide, primarily to maintain trees at a predetermined...
.
After clearing the incinerator site it was planted with hedgerows, oak trees and sown with wildflower seeds.
However the concrete base of the incinerator still remains under the site—a fact that may account for the extremely dense vegetation.
See also
Other local Tees Valley Wildlife nature reserves- Portrack Marsh Nature ReservePortrack Marsh Nature ReservePortrack Marsh Nature Reserve is a local nature reserve.The nature reserve is by the northern bank of the river Tees between the Tees Barrage and the Tees Viaduct near Portrack housing estate in Stockton-on-Tees borough, County Durham and is the last remaining wetland on the lower Tees.The site is...
- Maze Park Nature ReserveMaze Park Nature ReserveMaze Park is a urban nature reserve in Middlesbrough, England on the south bank of the Tees on former railway marshalling yards.It was created by the Teesside Development Corporation and is owned and run by the Tees Valley Wildlife Trust....
.