The decarbonisation of the UK's whisky sector received a major boost this week, after plans were unveiled to transition the UK's largest malting site to low-carbon, clean energy.
The £45m project, planned at the Tweed Valley Maltings in Northumberland which produces peated malts for the distilling industry, will see electric and biomass boilers displace fossil gas for the generation of industrial heat at the plant.
The plant, which is being developed by energy infrastructure developer AMP Clean Energy, is projected to cut the plant's carbon emissions by 25,000 tonnes a year, slashing total emissions by 80 per cent.
Mark Tarry, CEO of AMP Clean Energy, said the "trailblazing low-carbon project" marked the first time a high-voltage electric boiler would be deployed to decarbonise industrial heat processes.
"This initiative is so exciting because it uses local, low value biomass as a form of energy storage that can provide decarbonisation when the wind doesn't blow," he said. "This is the first project of its kind in the UK and the first time a high-voltage electric boiler will decarbonise an industrial heat process. It could be replicated across other industries."
Under the plans, biomass boilers boasting 18MW of capacity will be powered by a locally-sourced, sustainable wood chips.
Meanwhile, a 12MW high voltage electric boiler will be powered by wind energy that would have otherwise be curtailed during periods of energy surplus on the grid, the developers said.
AMP Clean Energy said the use of wind energy that would otherwise have been wasted meant the scheme addressed two energy transition challenges: how to decarbonise industrial heat and what to do when renewable energy generation exceeded grid demand.
"This project will save consumers money and drive forward the broader energy transition towards a net zero future," Tarry said. "The project is also AMP's largest single investment to date."
Steven Rowley, operations director at Simpsons Malt Limited, said the new energy centre was an important step in the firm's mission to achieve net zero emissions across its operations by 2030.
"The malt that leaves our Tweed Valley Maltings - 90 per cent of which is destined for the distilling industry - will have a significantly reduced carbon footprint, helping our distilling customers deliver on their own sustainability objectives while also positively impacting the sector as a whole," he said.
