British Sugar PLC in Norfolk are getting a slice of £21.3 million of government funding to reduce carbon emissions and improve the efficiency of operations. This will help support local jobs and economic growth as part of the Labour government’s Plan for Change.
British Sugar’s factory in Norfolk is among 10 businesses benefitting from the government grants, which will support investment to install emissions-cutting technology such as heat pumps and carbon capture – with projects worth £99.2 million in total.
British Sugar has received £7.5 million to support a £37 million project to revolutionise its drying process. Gas dryers will be replaced with steam dryers, cutting site emissions by 25% and saving 193,000 MWh/year in energy usage.
Terry Jermy, Labour Member of Parliament for South West Norfolk, said, “This is excellent news as British Sugar is a pillar of our country and region with regards production and innovation.
“I visited the site earlier this year to tour the factory and met a number of apprentices on site, it is major employer in South West Norfolk and they are a company that value investing in highly skilled jobs and talent.
“This will help drive sustainability in the business sector and not only help the environment, but indeed the economy locally and at large, it is also the largest sugar beet factory in Europe. Labour are making the UK the global hub for the green technologies.”
Minister for Industry Sarah Jones said, “Supporting businesses to reduce their emissions is core to our plan to achieve net zero while growing the economy as part of our Plan for Change.
“These companies represent some of the best of business innovation – using new technologies to improve how we do things, become more sustainable, employ people in the local area, and keep making the products we love.”
Phil McNaughton Head of Decarbonisation British Sugar said: “This project would not be possible without significant investment from the Government through the IETF Fund.
“It marks another step-change in our decarbonisation journey at British Sugar Wissington. To be able to remove 50k/t of Scope 1 emissions per annum from our site, marks a significant milestone for us and brings us further to our goal of being a net zero operation.
“We look forward to working together with the Government in the future to utilise new technologies and continue decarbonising our operations.”
The other businesses that got funding range from major UK manufacturers to family-owned businesses, 10 winners across England and Northern Ireland will slash emissions with heat pumps, energy efficient refrigeration and cutting-edge steam drying systems.
With industry paying for around two thirds of the project costs to cut emissions, this boost from the government will help businesses of all sizes expand and innovate, including supporting new jobs through building and operating the new technology – helping to cut their energy bills and boost local growth across the country.
Funding comes ahead of the government’s modern Industrial Strategy, which will turbocharge growth in the UK’s key sectors including clean energy. Meanwhile, a renewed Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy will set the strategic direction for the government’s approach to working with industry towards a competitive and low carbon industrial base in the UK, ensuring growth opportunities are captured in tandem with emissions reductions.
