£25 million biomass rollout underway at Bernard Matthews turkey farms
Green business news – by Thomas McMullan
25th June 2014
The UK’s largest biomass rollout has got underway with the first of 179 boilers installed at turkey giant Bernard Matthews’ farms in the east of England.
Biomass heating systems are now in place at Bernard Matthews turkey farms in Spalding, Lincolnshire, and near Eccles, Suffolk.
Bernard Matthews has previously used liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as a fuel to heat its turkey sheds. The new biomass boilers, which will benefit from the Government’s Renewable Heat Incentive scheme, will create between 45-50 per cent savings compared to the previous LPG systems and, said Bernard Matthews, put the company on course to use 100 per cent green energy within the next two years.
“We’re already generating a large proportion of our energy needs from other renewable sources, including solar and wind, and with the addition of biomass boilers on our farms, we’re well placed to be generating 100 per cent of our energy sustainably by 2016,” David Joll, executive chairman of Bernard Matthews, said.
The biomass project is being managed by renewable energy company, Lumicity Ltd, which secured funding for the project via the UK Green Investment Bank’s Energy Saving Investments (ESI) fund.
“We are very proud to have played a leading role in the development of one of the largest installations of distributed heating in the UK. We look forward to working with the various parties as we continue to manage the project,” said Tristan Fischer, ceo of Lumicity.
The new biomass boilers will initially be powered by wood chip, but from 2015 poultry litter will also be able to be used as fuel under new EU regulations.
Lumicity said the improved heat circulation provided by the dry heat biomass systems will lead to a number of additional benefits for the farms, including reduced in-house ammonia levels, reduced ventilation requirements and increased litter quality.
Biggest biomass rollout
The installations are part of a £25 million deal to install biomass boilers in 220 turkey sheds at 21 Bernard Matthews’ farms in Norfolk, Suffolk and Lincolnshire. The project –the biggest of its kind in the UK – will aim to create 51 jobs, cut energy bills and reduce CO2 emissions by an excess of 10,500 tonnes per annum.
Bernard Matthews has previously used liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as a fuel to heat its turkey sheds. The new biomass boilers, which will benefit from the Government’s Renewable Heat Incentive scheme, will create between 45-50 per cent savings compared to the previous LPG systems and, said Bernard Matthews, put the company on course to use 100 per cent green energy within the next two years.
“We’re already generating a large proportion of our energy needs from other renewable sources, including solar and wind, and with the addition of biomass boilers on our farms, we’re well placed to be generating 100 per cent of our energy sustainably by 2016,” David Joll, executive chairman of Bernard Matthews, said.
The biomass project is being managed by renewable energy company, Lumicity Ltd, which secured funding for the project via the UK Green Investment Bank’s Energy Saving Investments (ESI) fund.
“We are very proud to have played a leading role in the development of one of the largest installations of distributed heating in the UK. We look forward to working with the various parties as we continue to manage the project,” said Tristan Fischer, ceo of Lumicity.
The new biomass boilers will initially be powered by wood chip, but from 2015 poultry litter will also be able to be used as fuel under new EU regulations.
Lumicity said the improved heat circulation provided by the dry heat biomass systems will lead to a number of additional benefits for the farms, including reduced in-house ammonia levels, reduced ventilation requirements and increased litter quality.
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