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Tata Chemicals Europe has officially opened a new £5.5m turbine which will efficiently provide energy for its Soda Ash business in Cheshire.
The turbine, the beneficiary of a £2.5m Government European Regional Growth Fund grant, is housed at Tata Chemicals’ Winnington CHP plant – which as a result performs at more than 80% efficiency.
General Manager for Soda Ash at Tata Chemicals Europe, Alan Runciman, said: “Anyone involved in synthetic Soda Ash manufacturing will know that it’s an energy-intensive industry, where the cost of energy makes up the largest part of the overall cost base. This turbine allows us to provide power for our manufacturing process and produce Soda Ash much more efficiently.”
Head of Sales for Soda Ash, Craig Thornhill, added: “As the UK’s sole manufacturer of Soda Ash, it is crucial that we remain a reliable and long term partner to the UK Glass, Detergent and Chemical industries, all of which rely heavily on our product and service. Significant investments in our business such as this should therefore be seen as investments in the future of our customers and UK manufacturing”.
In 2013, Tata Chemicals acquired Winnington CHP so that it could take full control of its energy costs. Since then, the company’s energy team have been very busy maximising this state-of-the-art CHP plant’s efficiency and thereby dramatically reduce its carbon footprint.
To illustrate the capacity of the energy plant, if it was dedicated to domestic supply, it would be capable of powering 200,000 homes - an area the size of Liverpool.
In September 2016, this culminated in the opening of a new Steam Turbine. This £5.5m investment has transformed the CHP plant, making it one of the most efficient CHP plants in the UK. The project will ensure that Soda ash and Sodium Bicarbonate have affordable energy for the next decade and beyond. The Soda ash business has reduced its carbon footprint by 10% in the past three years and a further 15% is planned for the next 5 years. This will maintain Tata Chemicals Europe’s position as one of the world’s lowest carbon emitters from a synthetic soda ash process.
The project, which took two years to complete and install, culminated in an opening ceremony headlined by MP Graham Evans last week.
Mr Evans said: “Tata is the largest private employer in the country, and is also a huge employer here in Cheshire. My constituency, Weaver Vale, is the Gateway to the Northern Powerhouse, and this proves that is the case. I am lucky to have Tata in my constituency and Northwich is lucky to have Tata in its town. I am as proud as punch.”
Tata Chemicals Europe has been working tirelessly over the past decade to improve energy and emissions efficiencies, but in September 2016 a major milestone has been reached.
Managing Director, Martin Ashcroft said, “The opening of the steam turbine represents a key moment for the Soda ash business. The new steam turbine is perfectly sized for our operation and as a result, the overall plant is much more efficient. The investment ensures that Soda ash has affordable energy for the long-term and underpins the long term future of the business. We are delighted”.