Political opinion: Reform North Shropshire unveils £85 million waste-to-energy plan to transform Shropshire’s financial future
Reform North Shropshire today unveiled an ambitious £85 million plan to construct a cutting-edge Waste-to-Hydrogen (WtH) facility, set to revolutionise how Shropshire handles its waste — and how it powers its future, backed by British clean-tech innovation and private sector investment creating real paying jobs, using British technology, local resources, local people, local revenue and without using any Shropshire taxpayers money. “This isn’t just a waste solution,” said a spokesperson for Reform North Shropshire. “It’s a new economy, where tax-payers share in the growing Shropshire economy.
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The project, backed by British clean-tech innovation and private sector investment, will convert up to 100,000 tonnes of household waste per year into carbon-negative hydrogen and clean by-products, offering a pioneering approach to energy, agriculture and infrastructure.
“This isn’t just a waste solution,” said a spokesperson for Reform North Shropshire. “It’s a new economy — one built on real jobs, British technology, local resources, local people, local revenue and not on taxpayers money."
Waste Becomes a Resource
Using microwave PES technology — originally developed for British military applications — the facility will produce up to:
10,000 tonnes of pure hydrogen annually
1,000 tonnes of carbon soot, usable as tar or cement
Multiple forms of revenue-generating, carbon-negative outputs including:
Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)
Green Urea Fertiliser
Hydrogen for transport and power
Carbon-negative road materials
Major Benefits for Shropshire
The WtH project will deliver:
£55–£85 million in annual revenues shared by taxpayers depending on output choice
Free tar for road repairs and pothole maintenance
Zero cost of waste processing for Shropshire taxpayers
30 skilled permanent jobs and 100 construction jobs
Removal of 100,000 tonnes of CO₂e emissions annually
Fixed and lower-priced urea fertilizer
Reform North Shropshire proposal works directly with Shropshire Council and with its existing waste contractor, Veolia, with no disruption to current contracts.
Strategic Clean Energy Leadership
With new government rules requiring 2% of all UK aviation fuel to be SAF starting in 2025 (increasing to 22% by 2040), demand for non-biological, carbon-negative fuels is soaring. Reform North Shropshire's proposal would make Shropshire the first major clean fuel supply hub for the Midlands, serving airports in Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, Liverpool, Bristol and beyond.
The plan also includes the production of carbon-negative urea fertiliser, helping local and UK farmers comply with new UK/EU CBAM regulations — at fixed, below-market prices — while regenerating agriculture across Shropshire.
A Model for the UK
“This project is shovel-ready, revenue-generating, and a model that can be replicated across the UK.”
The project will be funded privately, ensuring no upfront burden on the public purse, while providing Shropshire’s taxpayers the opportunity to share in revenues from SAF, fertiliser and hydrogen fuel, with increased dividends to Shropshire’s taxpayers once the private sector investment has been paid off in 3 years.
