Balcas sets up brites wood pellet manufacturing plant in Scotland

(13/05/2010)

brites, made from virgin sawdust by Balcas, is a natural and sustainable fuel, which has taken the UK and Irish market by storm. It is already helping many homes and businesses significantly reduce their carbon and CO2 emissions into the atmosphere.

Following the success which brites has received in the Irish market over the last three years, and widespread interest from the Scottish market, Balcas has invested £26 million to set up a manufacturing plant in Invergordon, Scotland.

This major investment will not only mark the second brites production facility for the company, it will also be the largest wood pellet manufacturing plant in the UK and Ireland, producing 100,000 tonnes of brites fuel per year. This combined with the company’s Enniskillen plant in Northern Ireland will give a combined annual production of 155,000 tonnes – firmly positioning Balcas as the number one wood pellet manufacturer and supplier in the UK and Ireland.

The new Invergordon plant will be completely self sufficient, with all the energy needed to manufacture the pellets generated on site from a 40MW Combined Heat and Power (CHP) unit, which is fuelled by wood chip. This new facility will also produce 8MW of electricity, 3MW will be used on site and 5MW will be exported to the national grid – giving an added dimension to the role that the Highlands and Islands is playing in the development of green energy technologies.

brites is already used in over 4,000 wood pellet boilers, providing the heating and hot water requirements for a wide range of customers, varying from small homes to large operations including hotels, nursing homes, hospitals and also IKEA in Belfast. In Scotland, even though production has not officially started onsite, deliveries are underway and brites are already being used in many locations including an ASDA distribution depot in central Scotland, a 32 dwelling district heating system in Edinburgh, John Wheatley College in Glasgow, the World Wildlife Fund offices in Dunkeld, the Scottish National Heritage offices in Golspie and Tweedmouth Primary School near the border in Berwick Upon Tweed.

Alistair McGlynn brites market development manager for Scotland commented that brites: “Can be delivered anywhere in Scotland and with the exception of the transport element of delivery, the cost of brites are not dependent on fossil fuels, so a leaking pipeline in Alaska or political instability in the Middle East, will not have an adverse effect on prices. This then gives our customers peace of mind that they can rely on us to offer tremendous price stability and a guaranteed supply of fuel.”

In addition to the two brites manufacturing plants in Enniskillen and Invergordon Balcas also has a distribution depot in Cork which stocks 8,000 tonnes of brites and a new London based distribution depot in Brentwood, which stocks 1,500 tonnes of brites, all of which are working in conjunction with each other to service the growing demand for this clean, green fuel in mainland UK.

As a company Balcas continues to be dedicated to increasing confidence and awareness of brites as an energy alternative in commercial applications.

Paula Keelagher, brites market development manager for Ireland comments: “Following the initial level of investment which is made by companies to install wood pellet boilers, it is great when we can see how pleased our customers are as they see their investments paying off and the substantial savings they are making on their fuel bills”.

“There are five reasons why businesses should consider renewable energy and particularly brites at this time - energy security, economics, jobs, convenience and their carbon footprint,” Paula adds.

“The deal we offer customers does not require a sacrifice for greening the heat supply. That comes as a side benefit from a decision made on economic and energy security grounds. In a very uncertain world, we believe brites are part of the future, where climate change and financial constraints go hand in hand.”

To help highlight and promote these benefits Balcas, in association with Action Renewables, hosted a specialist one-day conference in Enniskillen in September, aimed at educating architects, specifiers and builders on the commercial benefits of using brites. The conference was opened by Environment Minister Edwin Poots and was attended by over 100 specifiers, architects and industry experts from throughout Northern Ireland. Delegates heard from those already experiencing a wide range of benefits from using brites and had the opportunity to speak with experts in the renewable energy industry and learn about the various funding initiatives available to assist in the installation of heating systems in businesses.

Public sector organisations in particular have recognised the value, both in terms of savings and the impact on the environment, of ‘switching on’ to brites. This has been highlighted recently by the announcement of a number of important new public sector contracts. In Scotland and North East England Balcas has been appointed by the Highland Council as the preferred supplier of wood pellets for their existing projects. Amongst the buildings enjoying the benefits of brites will be three schools and one nursing home. brites will also be supplying to three more schools in North East England as a result of a new contract with South Tyneside Council.

In Northern Ireland Balcas has won an important new contract to provide brites to five Government buildings across Northern Ireland.

The buildings to benefit from the carbon neutral brites, include: Stormont Stables, Belfast (Department of Finance & Personnel); Inishkeen House, Enniskillen (Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Offices); Driver Vehicle Testing Agency Test Centre, Enniskillen (DVA); Academy House, Ballymena (Water Service, Northern Division, and the Rates Collection Agency); College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (Greenmount Campus).

The conversion of these buildings to brites is part of a wider Government initiative to assess the viability of a variety of renewable technologies.

Related categories:  Boilers - Commercial   Energy Conservation   Fireplaces