Yorkshire and the Humber energy from waste facilities play critical role in delivering economic growth and net zero, says new CBI Economics report

LEEDS, United Kingdom

Homegrown energy from waste facilities in Yorkshire and the Humber are playing a mission critical role in driving the UK economy, creating green jobs, and boosting domestic energy security, according to a new report published this week by CBI Economics.

Commissioned by enfinium, one of the UK’s leading energy from waste businesses, the report measured the economic impact of the company’s operations from its employees through to its extensive supply chain across the UK. enfinium currently transforms 2.3 million tonnes of non-recyclable waste into homegrown energy at four facilities across the UK. Two of these facilities are already operating in Yorkshire and the Humber with another facility currently in construction in Leeds.

The new analysis found that in 2022:  

• enfinium contributed nearly £198 million in Gross Value Added (GVA) to the UK economy, 61% (£120m) of which was created within the Yorkshire and Humber area.
• enfinium supported a total of 273 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) jobs, nearly half of which are in Yorkshire and the Humber. Each of these regional jobs generated £0.9m towards the local economy in terms of GVA, which is 15 times more productive (in economic terms) than the average Yorkshire and the Humber employee and four times more productive than the energy industry average.
• Over 600 businesses across the UK benefited from enfinium’s operations, with a geographical spread spanning more than half of the UK’s local authorities. More than a third of enfinium’s supply chain is found in Yorkshire and the Humber, supporting a total of 144 businesses small and large. 
• enfinium’s employees typically live locally to its sites, with 85% of Ferrybridge employees coming from within a 20-mile radius – locations where average wages below £30,000 per year and unemployment rates above 5% (v.UK 4.4%).  These are highly paid jobs, with median full-time wages for enfinium’s staff nearly at £53,000 per year, 2.2 times higher than the regional average pay in Yorkshire and the Humber.  
• When enfinium’s wider economic contributions are taken into account – such as the jobs and GVA supported throughout the company’s supply chain – their total contribution rises to £242 million in GVA and 1,047 jobs across the UK economy. 
• In addition to supporting green growth, by capturing by-products from its processes, recycling materials and diverting waste from landfill, the company delivered emissions savings of over 565,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions to the UK economy in 2022 – a carbon footprint equivalent to over 113,000 individuals.

The report details that enfinium’s local impact in Yorkshire and the Humber goes beyond the creation of skilled, well-paid jobs thanks to the launch of dedicated Community Funds at each of its sites which cover a wide range of charitable giving. These £50,000 funds provide grants and donations to support areas such as the environment (e.g.: waste reduction/recycling, promotion of clean energy), improved health, safety and wellbeing, social inclusion, and education. These funds have contributed over £148,000 to local causes in 2022, with a large proportion of the donations from the Ferrybridge plant made within Wakefield local authority, an area in the bottom 25% in terms of the most income deprived English regions in 2019 and with one of the lowest levels of GCSE attainment.

Mike Maudsley, Chief Executive Officer at enfinium, said: “The transition to a Net Zero economy represents one of the greatest economic opportunities in the UK’s history. Our modern energy from waste facilities already generate hundreds of millions of pounds of green growth every year and our teams in Yorkshire are driving regional economic growth in areas that need stimulus, while making a measurable contribution towards climate change.”

Beckie Hart, Regional Director, Yorkshire and Humber, CBI, said: “This research shows the contribution enfinium’s energy from waste facilities are making to the UK economy, with much of it benefiting the local economies in Yorkshire. With the green economy offering one of the biggest opportunities for growth, the research shows that we have a brilliant example here in the region of how to couple local job creation and economic development with national efforts to deliver net-zero and safeguard our energy supply for future generations.”

A copy of the CBI Economics report can be downloaded from the enfinium website here.

Notes to editor

About enfinium

enfinium is one of the largest energy from waste businesses in the UK and is an industry leader in the conversion of non-recyclable residential and business waste into heat and partially renewable power. enfinium currently has a platform of six (two in construction) strategically located facilities across the UK. Today, enfinium has an annual waste processing capacity of over 2.3 million tonnes, and a total combined electric generating capacity of 265MW (gross) — enough energy to power more than 500,000 UK homes. For more on enfinium, please visit www.enfinium.co.uk.