BSW Timber claims to have become the first UK sawmiller to generate electricity from biomass fuel with the commissioning of a £2.5m combined heat and power (CHP) boiler at its Carlisle mill.
The state-of-the art 3.2 MW CHP boiler is now operational and forms the latest phase of BSW’s £11m investment programme in biomass energy across its mills in the UK and Latvia.
During the last five years, BSW has commissioned seven biomass boilers at sawmills across the UK and Latvia, resulting in total heat capacity of 38 MW to generate heat for the kiln drying process.
The Carlisle plant will provide heat for the kilns, treatment plant, and offices, while also producing electricity to be used in the sawmill production process.
The Carlisle CHP plant was delivered in partnership with biomass experts Dallol Energy. Welcoming the commissioning of the new CHP plant, BSW Timber’s chief executive officer Tony Hackney said: “BSW’s current investment in biomass technology means that we are now saving more than 12,500 tonnes of CO2 (3,421 tonnes of carbon) each year, across the business.
“The Carlisle biomass plant is our most significant investment to date, and has been delivered together with partners Dallol Energy on time and on budget.”
He added: “Adopting biomass technology as a heating solution has delivered both financial and environmental benefits in parallel with BSW’s ambitious growth plans, with all plants set to create a return on the initial investment within two to three years. Not only does biomass significantly reduce our carbon emissions, it also makes overall site operations more sustainable.“
