Heinz and Hanson Cement to benefit from £52m UK clean energy plan

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THE UK government has awarded funding worth £52m (US$64m) to 25 companies operating in the country, including Heinz and Hanson Cement, to boost their clean energy efforts.

The Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has awarded the grants as part of its Plan for Change scheme to promote industrial carbon reduction in the UK.

Government funding will form two-thirds of the investment needed for each project involved, worth a combined total of £154m.

Low-carbon technologies

Heinz, known for its popular beans and ketchup products, was awarded £2.5m (bringing its total funding to £7.5m) to install heat pumps that reuse heat waste from other areas of its factory in Wigan.

The factory currently relies on fossil fuels to heat the water it uses to blanch beans and boil spaghetti hoops.

North Wales-based Hanson Cement, part of Heidelberg Materials, received £5.6m for its carbon capture and storage project, Padeswood CCS, which aims to capture up to 800,000 t/y of CO2 and is expected to be operational by 2029.

Beer brewers Verdant Brewing have won funding to decarbonise beer production. The company produces its own electricity at its brewery in Penryn using a 67 kWp solar PV system.

Sarah Jones, the minister for industry, said: “These companies represent some of the best of business innovation – using new technologies to improve how we do things, become more sustainable, and continue to make the British products we love – from baked beans to beer.”

The government hopes its Plan for Change will make the UK a “clean energy superpower” and a supplement to the upcoming Industrial Strategy, which is expected in Q2 this year.