Plans To Replace Ageing City Incinerator

20 February 2026
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Richard PriceWest Midlands


Plans to replace an ageing incinerator with a more effective one are due to be examined by city leaders.


A brand-new energy recovery plant, for Hanford, near Stoke City's Bet365 Stadium in Stoke-on-Trent, would power the equivalent of about 50,000 homes, the authority said.


They added it might likewise produce a "substantial" earnings which could be reinvested into local recycling and net zero plans.


The contract for the existing incinerator at Hanford ends in March 2030, when it will be 35 years old and at the end of its serviceable life.


The job could also be a major contributor to the city's district heating network to offer public buildings with low-carbon heating and warm water, powered by geothermal energy, a representative stated.


The city board's cabinet is being asked to start an official procurement procedure to find an organisation to partner with, who might invest, design, build and run the brand-new center.


That procedure was expected to take 18 months, with the proposed facility scheduled to be up and in 2032.


Cabinet member Finlay Gordon-McCusker said the current center had actually burnt more than four million tonnes of rubbish because it opened in 1995, offering a "sustainable option" to land fill.


The council wanted to consider an "entrepreneurial" approach to running the facility, he added.


Waste increase


This would include a more substantial in advance financial investment than other options, Gordon-McCusker stated.


But it was anticipated that the authority would make a profit from the scheme in the longer term, he declared, through the sale of electrical energy and heat as well as charges credited other organisations utilizing the website for their waste.


The brand-new site could handle about 230,000-290,000 tonnes of waste each year, which would be a boost of between 10-38% of present levels.


A public consultation will run throughout March and April.