Wastefront names Technip Energies as partner for the build of its Sunderland tyre-recycling plant

OSLO / PARIS / LONDON – 10th January 2022

Wastefront AS today announced Technip Energies as its engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) partner for the build of its £100 million tyre recycling plant in Sunderland.

Technip Energies was selected following a competitive Project Analysis and Execution Pathway study phase that reviewed the earlier project development work and was designed to identify, eliminate and mitigate project risk, and is now consolidating the engineering design. Construction phase will start in Q2 of 2022 and will be accompanied by Technip Energies until the plant’s start-up, expected to be in 2024.

Vianney Valès, CEO of Wastefront, commented:

Our mission is to solve complex environmental issues, through a solution that has demonstrated its full alignment with EU/UK Taxonomy targets. To succeed, a rigorous approach to Project execution is key. Having Technip Energies, one of the most respected EPC companies in the world, endorse our approach and support our Project is yet another step in our ambition to build a world scale green industrial platform.”

Wastefront and Technip Energies have also agreed on a strategic partnership to deploy Wastefront projects worldwide with the Sunderland plant being used as a blueprint for the global replication of a uniquely circular model.

With the aim of solving a significant and grossly underreported but major cause of pollution Wastefront plans to build a global green industrial platform to recycle part of the 29 million metric tonnes of end-of-life tyres produced annually, into high value products.

When fully commissioned the Sunderland plant – which utilises commercially proven technologies – will have a processing capacity of 80,000 tonnes of end-of-life tyres per annum.

Arnaud Pieton, CEO of Technip Energies, stated:

We are extremely pleased to support Wastefront in their development. This project which leverages both our engineering and project management capabilities, will be led by our teams in the UK. It is  fully aligned with our strategy to deploy our know-how and our resources to scaling up solutions accelerating the energy transition journey as well as positioning our company as a leading player of the circular economy”.

The solution has been independently analysed in terms of its alignment with EU/UK Taxonomy targets, reaching a remarkable 84%-100% alignment, showing that Wastefront is decisively contributing to the green objectives in the UK, EU and beyond.

As previously announced, the company has also teamed up with Vitol, the largest independent oil trader in the world, which is developing as a leader in the Energy Transition. Vitol, being the offtaker of Wastefront’s liquid products and an investor in the company, is championing the growth of Wastefront as a frontrunner in the waste to liquid industry.

Selected coverage:

Evening Standard: Tread carefully: recycling firm pushes ahead with £100m tyre plant

City AM: Technip Energies to join revolutionary tyre-recycling project in Sunderland

Finansavisen: Technip bygger milliardanlegg for norske Wastefront

Sunderland Echo: Plans for 100+ jobs and tyre recycling plant at Port of Sunderland move closer