Scottish dairy firm Graham’s submits bioenergy plans
Graham’s The Family Dairy in Fife, Scotland, has submitted plans to its local council for a low carbon heat project.
The proposed plant would be built for Graham's cheese production facility at the Glenfield Industrial Estate in Cowdenbeath and would generate and distribute bioenergy for on-site heat and power.
The proposed low carbon effluent treatment plant would provide an innovative solution to utilising waste residue (whey) from cheese-making to produce green heat and electricity, which would be used on-site through a closed pipe network. As part of Graham’s wider green investment plans, the proposed development will generate renewable power to deliver:
Robert Graham, managing director at Graham’s, said: “Building a sustainable environment for our next generation is incredibly important to our family. We are actively working to achieve net-zero carbon across every area of our business
“The dairy sector has the potential to lead in the transition to a net-zero carbon economy, particularly within the areas of heat and transport. Our plans for the Glenfield dairy in Cowdenbeath will mark a step-change in investment within the dairy sector in zero-carbon innovation, infrastructure and skills development to accelerate climate adaptation within the industry.
“This builds on our recent investment in a 15 MW solar park on our farmland in the Carse of Stirling as we move our business, at speed and scale, to decarbonise.”
The plant would be a first for Scotland’s dairy industry, according to Graham’s. The ‘ground-breaking’ plans were proposed in response to the challenges set out by the Scottish Government in its Energy Strategy and the transition within the dairy sector to zero-carbon operational processes.
Graham’s project forms part of the flagship Low Carbon Innovation Transition Programme for Heat and Industry and received a grant in 2020 to deliver the plant alongside a Skills Development and Information Exchange to support Fife’s Clean Growth Agenda.
The company hopes to complete the project by spring 2021.
The proposed plant would be built for Graham's cheese production facility at the Glenfield Industrial Estate in Cowdenbeath and would generate and distribute bioenergy for on-site heat and power.
The proposed low carbon effluent treatment plant would provide an innovative solution to utilising waste residue (whey) from cheese-making to produce green heat and electricity, which would be used on-site through a closed pipe network. As part of Graham’s wider green investment plans, the proposed development will generate renewable power to deliver:
- 80% of the site’s baseload electricity
- 50% of peak electric load
- 50% of boiler gas supply
- A 20% reduction in vehicle and traffic flow to and from the site
- A 50% reduction in effluent disposal, a saving of 62.94 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent per hour
Robert Graham, managing director at Graham’s, said: “Building a sustainable environment for our next generation is incredibly important to our family. We are actively working to achieve net-zero carbon across every area of our business
“The dairy sector has the potential to lead in the transition to a net-zero carbon economy, particularly within the areas of heat and transport. Our plans for the Glenfield dairy in Cowdenbeath will mark a step-change in investment within the dairy sector in zero-carbon innovation, infrastructure and skills development to accelerate climate adaptation within the industry.
“This builds on our recent investment in a 15 MW solar park on our farmland in the Carse of Stirling as we move our business, at speed and scale, to decarbonise.”
The plant would be a first for Scotland’s dairy industry, according to Graham’s. The ‘ground-breaking’ plans were proposed in response to the challenges set out by the Scottish Government in its Energy Strategy and the transition within the dairy sector to zero-carbon operational processes.
Graham’s project forms part of the flagship Low Carbon Innovation Transition Programme for Heat and Industry and received a grant in 2020 to deliver the plant alongside a Skills Development and Information Exchange to support Fife’s Clean Growth Agenda.
The company hopes to complete the project by spring 2021.
