Heineken UK suspends green power station service

Heineken UK has temporarily shut down its revolutionary biomass power stations at its breweries in Manchester and Tadcaster after suffering from teething problems.

The biomass plants, which burn locally sourced woodchip to generate electricity and steam, were hailed as a "key milestone" in Heineken's commitment to cut its carbon footprint by 30,000 tonnes a year.

The plants were built at a cost of £35m and were set to produce 37,000 MWh of electrical energy per year — enough to supply all of the site's power requirements. They were to have the capacity to burn spent grain at a later date.

However, the plants are said to be producing excessive smoke to the detriment of nearby residents.

"The technology used in biomass generation is new and we need to address some operating issues with these two installations before they can commence full time running," said a Heineken UK spokesman.

"Efficient biomass generation is extremely important to Heineken UK and these plants represent a significant investment for our business.

"We are committed to finding the right operational conditions to enable the plants to provide clean, cheap and sustainable energy for our breweries.

"We are keen to get this right and taking the plants off-line will help us to resolve these outstanding issues more effectively."