Wednesday, 16 November 2011

DP CleanTech expands into the UK biomass market

DP CleanTech has set up a new office in the UK.  Based in Wolverhampton, this newest facility represents the company’s 4th strategic investment in the last year, and follows the recent opening of new offices and manufacturing facilities in Thailand and Poland.

The UK is expected to be a promising market for DP CleanTech due to the large number of green energy biomass and waste to energy initiatives recently implemented by the government.

DP CleanTech already has a UK reference which is one of the largest straw-fired plants in the world. The 38 MWe plant is located in Ely, Cambridgeshire, and uses the company’s highly acclaimed straw-firing technology.

Against a backdrop of more modern definitions of biomass, such as those that exclude competition with food sources; and advocate the use of household waste residues, the biomass and waste to energy industries appear to be gaining momentum in the UK. Increased public awareness of the environmental need for base load and, renewable power, as well as a greater understanding of the positive local and national economic benefits of biomass power are contributing to an improved sentiment.  Under a more motivated political environment, DP CleanTech hopes to accelerate biomass power adoption in the UK and to prove that in the UK, as elsewhere around the world that the right technology can make the difference to the successful adoption and implementation of green policies.  

The first phase of the ‘Renewable Heat Incentive’, proposed by the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC), will support large-scale industrial heat users, which are ideal candidates for biomass power. The DECC also proposed a doubling of the tradable Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROC) given to enhanced biomass plants. Besides the power plant contractors, the move has also created some opportunities amongst UK farmers and waste generating businesses to capitalize on their waste residues  by providing fuel for renewable power projects. Simon Parker, Chief Executive Officer, DP CleanTech said “I feel DP CleanTech is ideally positioned for the UK market as our world class European technology is well proven for the fuels we anticipate in the UK,  including straw, wood chips, industrial waste and municipal solid waste.  We have also recently expanded our manufacturing capacity in Poland which will help serve the anticipated demand from the UK”.  The opening of a UK office is solid testament to our belief in the potential of the UK market

David Ryan, Engineering Manager, DP CleanTech UK added that “Being part of a dynamic organization that is quite clear about its mission to deliver clean energy is an exciting step for the team here in the UK.  The global nature of DP CleanTech provides us with a strong and efficient technical and project platform on which to build our business now and in the future”.