Potato packer to turn waste spuds into electricity

Branston say that the investment, at its new £3.5 million prepared food factory, will save the company over 40 per cent on electricity and take one HGV load of waste off the road each day.

The anaerobic digestion plant is part of a £1.4 million investment in green technologies at Branston Lincolnshire site, which will also include the introduction of a new water recycling plant, which will recycle some 60 per cent of the water used to wash potatoes.

The investment is the latest in several projects undertaken as part of Branston’s environmental strategy, which has led the company to become the first UK food producer to receive the Carbon Trust Standard and ISO 14001 accreditation.

“At Branston, we’re committed to working in harmony with the environment,” said Mark Willcox, Development director. “This exciting development is a continuation of that strategy and will help us by reducing our utility costs and help the environment by reducing our use of fossil fuels. We will be using outgrade potatoes, which are unfit for consumption, to produce a significant amount of electricity and in doing so become one of the first food producers in the UK to harness such innovative and environmentally friendly technology."

A £568,000 grant from the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE), which is funded by Defra and the European Union and delivered by the East Midlands Development Agency (EMDA) has made the development of this new plant possible.

Andrew Morgan, EMDA’s Skills and Communities director, said: “We are pleased to support this ambitious and innovative project, which is embracing new technology and implementing environmental best practice It’s a strong example of what RDPE is all about – supporting land-based businesses to use alternative natural resources to produce energy and conserve water whilst significantly reducing their impact on the environment. We hope the Branston project will inspire more businesses to invest in greener strategies and technologies for the future.”