POWYS: BSW Timber has installed the UK’s largest biomass hot water boiler plant to benefit from the Government’s Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) at it’s sawmill in Newbridge-on-Wye.

The plant consists of two 3-megawatt biomass boilers and is set to create environmental savings of more than 2800 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year – as well as improving annual profitability for BSW by £700 000 through oil cost savings and the RHI scheme. The boiler plant was designed and project managed by leading renewable consultancy, Sustainable Energy, in partnership with the Carbon Trust.

BSW Timber is the UK’s largest sawmiller and the Newbridge mill produces sawn timber products from UK-sourced softwood, much which is dried in on-site in kilns. The kilns were previously heated by oil boilers and the co-products from the sawmilling processes – including wood chips and bark - were sold and removed from site by road transport.

By transferring their heat production to a six MW wood-chip boiler and using co-products as fuel, BSW will offset the annual consumption of up to one million litres of oil per year – and remove 280 lorries from the local roads.

Mill Manager Dave Burd said: “This is a major project which sets down a successful blueprint for the rest of our mill operations across the UK. The benefits will be significant in reducing carbon emissions and taking lorries of our road, as well as making our overall site operation more cost-effective.

“The plant has been delivered on schedule, to budget and is already exceeding our performance expectations already by meeting key environmental and financial objectives".

Managing director of sustainable energy, Dr Gabriel Gallagher, said: “The BSW Timber contract is a fantastic example of how businesses can benefit widely by converting to biomass heating, in terms of savings on fuel bills, becoming more environmentally friendly and potential to expand the business and create jobs”.

“The significant environmental benefits from the project at BSW also gained the support of both The Carbon Trust and the Forestry Commission.”