The complex should appear in Stockton-on-Tees in County Durham, on the banks of the Tees River, within the boundaries of the former industrial zone. There is already one biomass power plant in the vicinity of the city, and there are plans to build two more, in addition to the Heatherwick project.
According to the designer, the industrial architecture of our time does not make the contribution to the cultural environment that it is capable of: suffice it to recall the huge London power plants of the mid-20th century by Giles Gilbert Scott, one of which now houses the Tate Modern gallery, or factories of continental Europe built during the period between the two world wars in line with the "modern movement". But in the wake of interest in alternative energy sources, Heatherwick believes, it is possible to implement expressive and timeless projects.
Its power plant will include a landscaped grounds, administrative offices and a visitor center. Its capacity will be 49 megawatts, and the energy generated by it will be sufficient to supply 50,000 apartments and cottages.
Wood chips and cereals specially grown for this purpose will be used as fuel. The raw materials are planned to be transported by river and unloaded at the already existing pier on the site for building. The project budget is 150 million pounds.
Although the biofuel power plant is not considered the cleanest energy generator possible, the Stockton facility will cut CO2 emissions by 140 tonnes per year.
