Said to be the first of its kind in the world, the new bio-refinery features four anaerobic digestion processes which are linked to extract gas.
The bio-refinery at Carlisle will use potato waste produced from the plant’s mashed potato and pie manufacturing lines to generate power.
The residual waste left following completion of the bio-refining process can also be re-used as fertilizer, the firm said.
The power plant is designed to produce 3,500 MWh/year of electricity, equivalent to powering around 850 UK homes, as well as generate around 5,000 MWh/year in steam.
2 Sisters Food Group plans to use the energy and steam generated from the facility to power the Carlisle factory as part of its ‘Feeding Our Future’ sustainability plan , which aims to generate 35,000 tons of carbon savings a year and reduce its carbon footprint by 20% by 2018.
As part of this effort, the firm intends to construct up to ten bio-refineries at its 2 Sisters factories over the coming three years.
2 Sisters Food Group operates the bio-refineries in partnership with renewable energy firm H2 Energy.
Andrew Edlin, group sustainability director for 2 Sisters Food Group said: "The bio-refinery is a world-first for the food industry, using a new type of super-efficient technology to generate energy from potato waste.
"We are looking to use this system to open up to ten further energy plants at other 2 Sisters factories over the coming 3 years, using potato and other food waste to generate energy and steam."
Image: 2 Sisters Food Group sustainability director Andrew Edlin. Photo: courtesy of 2 Sisters Food Group.
Â
