Thameside ERF
About Thameside ERF
Thameside ERF is the latest EfW facility in the Viridor fleet. The site is located in the Port of Tilbury, on the north-west side of the Docks. The electricity generated from the facility will feed into the National Grid to help power our homes. It will be linked via underground cables to the Tilbury substation on the east side of the Docks.
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- Based at Tilbury Docks in Essex
- Once operational, Thameside ERF will process over 350,000 tonnes of waste each year
- It will generate enough energy to power the equivalent of 93,000 homes
- Viridor's aim is to reach commercial operation in 2028
What is an Energy Recovery Facility (ERF)?
An Energy Recovery Facility provides the means for renewable energy to be recovered from residual waste. This site will treat around 350,000 of residual waste per annum and turn it into electricity.
What is residual waste?
After reducing, reusing and recycling as much as possible, we are left with residual black bag waste. This is the waste that cannot currently be recycled. Energy recovery burns this non-recyclable waste at high temperatures under carefully controlled conditions to produce electricity, instead of seeing it go to landfill.
These facilities reduce the use of fossils fuels to create electricity, cut emissions of greenhouse gases and reduce our dependence on landfill.
To find out more about how an ERF works, see the Virtual ERF below.
Project update
Thameside ERF has already received planning consent from the Government, which means it is now in the construction phase ahead of becoming operational.
Kanadevia Inova is the principal contractor for the Thameside ERF, bringing decades of experience with over 20 EfW projects completed in the UK. Kanadevia Inova will design, build, and commission the Port of Tilbury-based facility.
Construction began in November 2024, and the expected completion date is 2028. This is when the facility will be set to begin commercial operations, and start to recover renewable energy from residual waste. The construction of the waste storage bunker has now been completed, and upcoming works will include the completion of utility connections, installing buried services, continuing site excavations, and steel erection.
We will keep you updated on our construction progress through regular newsletters and via this website.
Latest update - the stack is up!
We recently saw a visible milestone for the project, as the stack (or chimney) went up. The majority of the concrete structure is largely complete and we are now moving into the next phase of the project. This is the mechanical and electrical (M&E) works, which means we are starting on the technical inner workings of the ERF.
There is still plenty to do but now feels like the right time to pause and recognise the people behind the progress. A huge thanks to everyone involved for the commitment and teamwork that has got us to this point.
Activity on site between February and early March involved putting a new tower crane in place to complete the next phase of works.
Why do we need an ERF?
We have an urgent need to move to renewable sources of energy, and Viridor Thameside ERF will contribute to this transition. The UK Government has set ambitious goals to meet the challenge posed by climate change, including decarbonising our electricity system by 2035.
With 12 Energy from Waste (EfW) facilities, processing over 3.4 million tonnes of waste a year and producing enough energy to power the equivalent of c.780,000 homes, Viridor is one of the UK’s leading innovators in resource recovery and recycling. We are aiming to become the UK’s first net-negative emissions waste management company by 2045 thanks to an ambitious decarbonisation strategy.
How will the project benefit the local community?
Viridor is committed to supporting the communities in which we operate. We are keen to give back to the local area, not only through providing job opportunities, but also being involved with community projects.
We are keen to give back to the community by making regular donations to local charities. Over the last few months, Viridor and Kanadevia Inova have made joint donations to organisations such as the Essex & Herts Air Ambulance, Tilbury FC, Friends of Essex Homeless, Treetops School, Thurrock Foodbank and Kids Bank HQ.
Before Christmas, a team from Viridor and Kanadevia Inova volunteered at the Seafarers’ Centre – one of our neighbours in Tilbury Docks. We helped wrap presents to hand out to crew docking at Tilbury over the festive period.
We Share Fund
Viridor has a Community Fund, known as We Share. Funding is awarded on a set of criteria based around sustainability, local need, community involvement, value for money and education.
We encourage local projects to apply for funding. If you have a project that you would like to put forward for a donation, please fill out our application form. Completed forms should be returned by email to: info@viridorthameside.co.uk.
When filling out your application, please refer to our guidance document here, which details the criteria.
Applications are reviewed monthly by the administrator to determine whether they meet the Fund application criteria, and then they will be submitted for approval.
Our latest WeShare project
One project Viridor has already supported through the We Share fund is the regeneration of the Seabrooke Rise Community House garden. The centre has supported the local community for many years. Works took place to clear and upgrade the garden to improve the outdoor space for people to enjoy, and will now be ready as we head towards spring and summer. We will be continuing to stay in touch with the Community House to keep the garden maintained.
Community Liaison Group
Viridor is now leading the existing Tilbury Liaison Committee to provide a regular communications forum between the site and the local community. Meetings will take place approximately every quarter.
Please get in touch if you would like more information about dates or members. You can find the minutes from the meetings in the link below.
For meeting minutes click here.
Contact us
If you have any questions about the project, please get in touch.
Email: info@viridorthameside.co.uk
Call: 01375 806470
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