Plans To Replace Ageing City Incinerator

20 February 2026
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Richard PriceWest Midlands


Plans to replace an aging incinerator with a more efficient one are because of be taken a look at by city leaders.


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


They included it might likewise create a "significant" income which might be reinvested into regional recycling and net zero schemes.


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


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


The city council's cabinet is being asked to begin an official procurement process to find an organisation to partner with, who might invest, design, construct and run the new center.


That process was expected to take 18 months, with the proposed facility arranged to be up and running in 2032.


Cabinet member Finlay Gordon-McCusker stated the current center had burnt more than 4 million tonnes of rubbish given that it opened in 1995, providing a "sustainable alternative" to land fill.


The council wished to think about an "entrepreneurial" approach to running the center, he added.


Waste increase


This would include a more substantial upfront investment than other options, .


But it was expected that the authority would make a profit from the plan in the longer term, he declared, through the sale of electricity and heat as well as fees credited other organisations using the site for their waste.


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


A public consultation will run during March and April.