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Date: 17 August 2009

Biomass brings green whisky to Scotland

Helius Energy Plc and The Combination of Rothes Distillers (CoRD) have today announced the creation of a Joint Venture called Helius CoRDe, which will build and operate an award-winning renewable energy scheme which will reduce the carbon footprint of the whisky industry on Speyside.

The proposed £50 million project will use whisky distillery by-products to fuel a 7.2 MWe GreenSwitch® biomass combined heat and power plant and a GreenFields® plant which will turn the liquid co-product of whisky production, known as Pot Ale, into a concentrated organic fertiliser and an animal feed for use by local farmers.

Helius CoRDe builds on the ongoing cooperation between biomass to power company Helius Energy and CoRD. It will create a dedicated company which will be responsible for the financing, construction and operation of the new plant. The project won ‘Best Environmental Initiative’ at the Scottish Green Energy Awards in December 2008 and could save more than 20,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year when compared to CoRD’s current energy use.

Frank Burns, General Manager of CoRD, said:

“This agreement formalises the work we have undertaken so far and sets out the structure for us to take this project forward to completion. The ability to generate renewable heat and power and secure additional markets for our distillery co-products is a very exciting development for the malt whisky industry on Speyside.”

John Seed, Managing Director of Helius Energy, said:

“I’m delighted to be moving forward with a truly innovative project. Biomass will play a major role in meeting the UK’s targets for emissions reductions, and this is a model that has the potential to be rolled-out elsewhere. Drinking green whisky may give you a warm glow but it’ll also help to avoid warming the planet.”

It is anticipated that Engineering Procurement and Construction Contracts will be awarded shortly, allowing construction to begin in early 2010, with around 2 years for construction and building, which  is likely to generate between 20 and 100 jobs.

- ENDS -

Notes for Editors

• The Helius Group was established to develop, install and operate biomass fired renewable electricity generation plants. These will help meet the growing need for reliable power from renewable fuels that help to overcome the issues of climate change associated with fossil fuels like coal and oil.
• Helius possesses a significant combination of knowledge of renewable energy markets, biomass energy technologies, biomass fuel sources, project development, implementation and operation of power generation plants.
• The Combination of Rothes Distillers was founded in 1904 to process the Pot Ale produced by the whisky distilleries in the Rothes area. It is owned by a combination of distilling companies – comprising The Edrington Group, Chivas Brothers, Glen Grant Distillery Ltd, Inver House Distillers, Diageo and Benriach Distillery Co. – and employs 21 people.
• Helius Energy plc will own 51% of the Joint Venture company, Helius CoRDe, while the Combination of Rothes Distillers will own the remaining 49%.
• Rothes is the first 5-8 MWe GreenSwitch® project. These are modular biomass power stations which are capable of utilising wet biomass and which will be located alongside existing industries which produce suitable co-products, such as distilleries and breweries.
• The solid grain product removed from the mash tun, prior to fermentation of the liquor, is known as draff. Pot Ale is a high-protein co-product removed prior to final distillation of the spirit.
• The GreenFields® process takes the co-products from distillery operations (including process water, pot ale and draff) and turns them into value inputs such as biomass fuel, soil conditioner, animal feed and water for cooling and cleaning purposes.
• The CHP unit will use a combination of distillery co-products and wood chip from sustainable sources to generate 7.2 megawatts of electricity, enough for 9,000 homes, which can be used onsite or exported to the National Grid.
• The project was awarded the ‘Best Environmental Initiative Award’ at the Scottish Green Energy Awards 2008 in December.

Further Information

Helius Energy plc John Seed, Managing Director	01642 438 540
Combination of Rothes Distillers Frank Burns	01340 831 249
Kreab Gavin Anderson Ken Cronin	020 7074 1800
Robert Speed
Kate Hill

 

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