Offering energy-intensive businesses large-scale development land, energy and utilities in one location

In Teesside, Sembcorp Energy UK is primarily known for managing Wilton International and supplying energy and utilities to their customers on the site. But this is just one part of Sembcorp’s UK activities. In fact, the company is a leading UK-wide provider of sustainable energy solutions, supporting the country's transition to Net Zero. Battery storage is one of Sembcorp’s core services - the company has a current operational portfolio of 120MWh across five sites in England. Batteries represent a critical technology in the UK’s energy transition. While renewable energy sources such as wind or solar are sustainable, they are also intermittent - the wind doesn’t blow all the time, the sun doesn’t always shine, or at least not necessarily at times of peak electricity demand.

Recycling and the circular economy are in Wilton International’s DNA. This could explain why it is the location of choice for many leading energy-intensive businesses and selected by companies using recycled feedstocks to produce goods ranging from chemicals and plastics to fertilisers and sustainable fuels. Perhaps it’s not surprising, therefore, that as Sembcorp Energy UK (the company that owns much of the land at Wilton International and supplies energy and utilities to on-site customers) clears land to create new development plots and opportunities for business, the company incorporates circular economy and sustainability principles into its activities.

Wilton International and Teesside provide a perfect example of industrial clustering - businesses profiting through co-location and working together to rise to a challenge. The value-adding benefits of business clustering are well-documented and apply across a broad range of sectors. Locating within hotbeds of excellence can enable companies to innovate, boost productivity and grow. In well-known examples of clusters such as the City of London, or the high-tech Cambridge Cluster, the emphasis is on a geographical concentration of sector knowledge and expertise (primarily intellectual capital), as well as supply chains and business networks. Knowhow is at the heart of industrial clusters too, and in the case of process industry – chemical manufacturing, for example – shared access to physical infrastructure is also a key driver of co-location, delivering significant value for businesses.