From beer brewing to baked beans, dairy farms and cement, 25 businesses across the country have received nearly £52m to help reduce carbon emissions.
Reducing carbon emissions will boost the UK’s mission as part of the Plan for Change to become a clean energy superpower and accelerate to net zero, supporting jobs and economic growth.
With industry paying for around two-thirds of the project costs to cut emissions, this funding will help businesses of all sizes expand and innovate, including supporting new jobs through construction and operations.
This will help businesses cut their energy bills and boost local growth across the country.
Cutting-edge technology to reduce carbon emissions
Thanks to support from the government, Nestlé’s coffee processing site in Staffordshire, Heinz’s baked bean factory in Wigan, and a specialist craft beer company in Cornwall are among those who will reduce their carbon emissions.
The funding will deliver emissions-cutting technology such as heat pumps and carbon capture – with projects worth £154m in total.
This delivers the government’s Plan for Change to make Britain a clean energy superpower, driving economic growth and rebuilding Britain.
The government says the upcoming Industrial Strategy will give investors and industry confidence to plan for the next decade and beyond, with clean energy industries a key sector identified to reignite the UK’s industrial heartlands and grow the economy.
Heinz, which received over £2.5m and invested nearly £5m of their own funding in the project, will use the funding to switch its dependence on fossil fuels to heat the water needed to blanch beans and boil spaghetti hoops, by installing heat pumps that reuse waste heat from other processes in the factory.
These measures will improve energy efficiency to reduce carbon emissions and bills for the business, allowing them to invest more in other areas.
“The Industrial Energy Transformation Fund represents a critical step in our decarbonisation journey towards net zero. UK businesses recognise the significance of the investment and is committed to further utilising this technology across our company,” explained Saji Jacob, Head of West Europe Supply Chain, Heinz.
Hanson Cement in North Wales will use its £5.6m grant to support its multi-million-pound carbon capture and storage project – creating hundreds of jobs during construction and capturing 800,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year once operational – the equivalent of taking 320,000 cars off the road.
New projects mark industry milestone
In addition to supporting individual businesses, setting them up for a more sustainable future, cutting energy costs, and streamlining production, the government recently confirmed that contracts had been signed for the UK’s first carbon capture project in Teesside.
This marks the latest milestone in the government’s mission to reignite its industrial heartlands, tackle the climate crisis and turbocharge growth for decades to come.
Minister for Industry Sarah Jones said: “Helping businesses of all sizes to reduce carbon emissions is core to our Plan for Change to achieve net zero while growing the economy.
“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.”
Other winners include Paul’s Malt and Verdant Brewing Company, two businesses leading the way in decarbonising beer production, and Warrington-based Novelis, which received nearly £14m to expand its recycling capacity.
This is part of a £63m project that will reduce the company’s carbon emissions by over 350,000 tonnes.
Producing clean, homegrown electricity with renewables
The government also continues to invest in renewable energy projects, with a record number of projects secured earlier this year, to ensure homes and businesses benefit from clean, homegrown electricity.
These measures will protect them from the rollercoaster of fossil fuel markets.
