Jobs boost as green energy firm signs 2 Sisters deal
A NEW £50m energy-from waste deal led by Liverpool company H2 Energy is set to create 150 jobs and transform the energy requirements at 2 Sisters Food Group, the £3bn turnover food manufacturer.
H2 Energy is to install bio-refineries at all 2 Sisters 43 factory locations in the UK. Under the terms of the signed contract between H2 Energy and 2 Sisters Food Group – H2 Energy will design, manufacture, construct, and operate these Bio-Refineries which convert food waste and animal by-products into power and heat.
The deal will create 150 jobs, the majority of them in Liverpool, over the next three years.
The first phase will see the commissioning of Bio-Refineries at 10 2 Sisters locations over the next three years. The selected locations will include food manufacturing, poultry, fish and meat processing sites. The locations are: Carlisle, Flixton, Willand, Scunthorpe, Coupar Angus, McIntosh Donald, Bodmin, Anglesey, Sandycroft and Merthyr Tydfil.
In the long-term the deal will create significant green benefits for 2 Sisters, with 35,000 tonnes of carbon savings and 20,000 fewer lorry journeys a year. It will reduces the group’s non transport carbon footprint by 10%.
William Shotton, chief executive f H2 Energy, said: “We are absolutely delighted with the partnership on embedded generation with 2 Sisters and the benefits of waste treatment at source, decreased vehicle movements and reduced carbon emissions to be achieved by this agreement.”
Andrew Edlin, sustainability and environment director for 2 Sisters Food Group added: “This is absolutely cutting edge, not just for the food industry, but for the UK.
“Producing over 100,000 MWh of energy on our sites fundamentally changes their energy profile, and results in carbon saving of over 35,000 tonnes, around 10% of our non-transport footprint. This is a true demonstration of our commitment to sustainability and innovation and highlights how we want to engage with innovators to meet our sustainable development goals.”
The first project will be at 2 Sisters’ Cavaghan & Gray Site in Carlisle, which manufactures a range of ready meals for retailers. The Bio-Refinery will produce up to 3,500 MWh/ year of electricity and about 5,000 MWh/ year of processing steam.
The electricity, equivalent to the annual use of over 750 homes in the UK, will provide over 20% of the site’s needs. The process steam will provide a significant quantity of the requirements of the site, reducing reliance on fossil fuels significantly.
When all 10 projects are fully commissioned Phase 1 is projected to deliver up to 40,000 MWh of electricity and 70,000 MWhth of thermal energy into 2 Sisters Food Group a year – that’s enough electricity to power a town with 12,000 homes.
Based on conversion calculations provided by The Carbon Trust, the first phase will deliver annual savings of approximately 35,000 tonnes of carbon.
Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson, whose office has supported H2 Energy, added; “It is exactly 12 months ago that H2 Energy opened in Liverpool creating much needed jobs in north Liverpool and this multi-million pound contract is a significant milestone for a company that chose Liverpool as the base for its operations.
“I invested in H2 Energy because I was confident that Liverpool would reap the benefits in terms of jobs and opportunities and that faith has again been repaid.”
2 Sisters Food Group manufacture a wide range of food products including Goodfellas Pizza, Fox’s Biscuits, Holland’s Pies and Donegal Catch. The company employs around 24,000 people across its 49 sites in the UK, Ireland, Netherlands and Poland.
