Drinks producer goes green with new plant
February 18, 2009 at 4:03 pm
The world is on the brink of an ecological disaster caused by global warming. Rumours are mounting that the recession will bite into the green budget and set back the important aims to reduce emissions. So it is heartening to see that one UK company is taking the initiative.
The Cameronbridge distillery in Fife, Scotland, which is run by Diageo, is the location for a new £65 million green energy plant after work on the plant was given the go ahead last week to commence construction.
The distillery produces vodka, whisky and gin, and the plant will make use of the ‘wash’, a mixture comprised of the waste barley, wheat, yeast and water products, by turning it into a fuel that can be used to power the plant.
It is an exciting development as it is setting an example to other companies of how it is possible to utilise alternative forms of power in order to reduce carbon emissions and get the same results. Diageo, working in joint partnership with the energy firm Dalkia, claims that it will reduce the distillery’s reliance on fossil fuels by a massive 95%, certainly going some way to save the planet.
The plant was officially opened by Alex Salmond, the First Minister for Scotland, who said that not only would it help to pave the way for less reliance on fossil fuels, but that it would even provide jobs during the economic downturn, thereby killing two birds with one stone.
He is quoted by the BBC as saying that "Scotland is not immune from global recession, but by concentrating on our strengths we can emerge stronger from the downturn.”
Leave a Reply