26 March 2026
Workers and families across Teesside have been given a major boost after the Government stepped in with a £100 million package to safeguard the Ensus plant at Wilton.
The intervention will protect around 100 direct jobs and support a further 3,000 across the wider supply chain, bringing much needed certainty after months of real concern about the future of the site.
The campaign to secure the site has been led by Redcar MP Anna Turley, who has worked closely with industry and ministers to get the deal over the line. Local MP Luke Myer welcomed the news, having called on the Government in Parliament last year to back Anna’s campaign.
The move comes as part of a wider effort by ministers to shore up the UK’s critical CO2 supplies, which are essential for sectors ranging from food production to healthcare and civil nuclear. With global instability putting pressure on supply chains, the decision to bring the plant back online for a temporary period is aimed at strengthening national resilience. It is rare for a Secretary of State to step in so directly, first to keep a plant on standby and then to bring it back into operation within months. It reflects a more active approach to supporting British industry, one that prioritises jobs, supply chains and resilience.
Business Secretary Peter Kyle said the Government had acted to “boost the resilience of our supply chains and protect critical UK sectors”, pointing to the importance of Ensus not just for Teesside but for the country as a whole.
Business Secretary Peter Kyle said:
“As a government of action we will always do what’s needed to ensure resilience and protect British businesses from the worst impacts of global uncertainty. That’s why we have been in discussions with Ensus since September to keep this critical plant on standby for situations like this.
“By restarting this plant we’ve acted swiftly to boost the resilience of our supply chains and protect critical UK sectors like food production, water and healthcare, as well as the jobs and communities that depend on these industries.”
Welcoming the announcement, Luke Myer MP said:
“This is really positive news for Teesside. I know how difficult the past few months have been for workers and their families, so to see these jobs protected and the site secured is a huge relief.
“Anna Turley has led from the front on this and deserves real credit for the work she’s put in alongside colleagues and the team at Ensus.
“It also shows what an active government can do. Stepping in to support a key industrial site like this is exactly the kind of approach we need if we are serious about backing British industry, protecting jobs and strengthening our economy for the future.”
Grant Pearson, Chairman of Ensus, said:
“This agreement of support from the UK Government is excellent news for our employees and those in our extensive supply chain. It strengthens the broader Teesside manufacturing economy and the UK’s resilience in relation to biogenic CO2 supplies, which are vital to food and drinks companies, as well as being important to hospitals, abattoirs and the nuclear industry.”
Anna Turley, MP for Redcar, said:
“When I was elected, I promised I would always stand up and fight for every single resident and every single job. I’m proud to stand by the workers at Ensus and the thousands of people connected to it. The last few months have been incredibly difficult. I’ve heard directly from workers worried about their jobs and their future, and it’s been frustrating at times not being able to say more while discussions were ongoing.
“That’s why I’m absolutely delighted to see this £100 million deal secured with the Labour government. This is about real security — for the workforce, their families, and the thousands of jobs across the chemical industry supply chain that depend on this site.”
The Ensus plant, mothballed since last autumn, will now restart production to help stabilise CO2 supplies during a period of global disruption, with longer term discussions ongoing about the future of the UK bioethanol industry.