The £25 million pound combined heat and power (CHP) plant, to be based at Bryn Lane on Wrexham Industrial Estate, will generate 34 GWh of electricity a year, which the company claims is enough to power 2,400 homes.
Developed by Liverpool-based Green Plan Energy, the project is expected to cut greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 6,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.
With three sites in Manchester, Middlesbrough and Essex, Hadfield recycles 270,000 tonnes of wood waste a year into products including animal bedding for horses, poultry and dairy cattle, feedstock for panel board, arena surfaces and filter beds.
The company also recovers wood waste and manufactures it into biomass fuel for small and large scale boilers in the UK and abroad.
Vicki Hughes, group business development director for Hadfield, said she was delighted they had secured the contract to supply the fuel.
She said: “We have been growing the biomass side of our business for a number of years now, to complement our wood recycling arm which remains as strong as ever.
“We have seen an increasing number of requests to supply plants here and abroad, both small and large scale, and for us the balance is always ensuring we can consistently supply a good spec of material while ensuring it is financially viable for both parties. We are really looking forward to working with everyone on this project.”
Hadfield is listed as the sole supplier to the facility, with biomass specialists PBS Energo due to provide plant’s biomass boiler, flue gas cleaning system, and electricity generation contract.
Bester Generaciόn UK Limited, part of the Bester Group, has meanwhile been appointed construction contractor, and has also been awarded a long-term contract to operate and maintain the facility.
GBI
The Wrexham project has been made possible through £25 million funding from the UK Green Investment Bank plc (GIB) and Equitix.
The Equitix-managed fund Energy Savings Investment (ESI), in which GIB is a cornerstone investor, is investing £12.25 million in the project. An additional £12.75m of private capital has been mobilised from the parallel Equitix Energy Efficiency Fund (EEEF).
Edward Northam, head of investment banking at GIB, said: “Britain’s manufacturing businesses consume huge amounts of heat every year, much of it from non-renewable sources. Dual-purpose plants like Wrexham, which are capable of generating renewable electricity and heat for the benefit of local industry, play an important role in greening the UK economy. Heat isn’t just a bi-product of the electricity generation process; it is a valuable source of energy in itself.”
Subscribe for free