Thu 27th March 08
Bespoke pre-cast concrete specialist, Evans, has secured its largest ever contract for work on a new bio-ethanol plant in Teesside, which will eventually supply up to 10% of the UK’s fuel.
The £2.7m project includes the design, supply and installation of 12 pre-cast concrete bases to support the tanks which will ferment and process wheat to produce ethanol.
Each base will consist of 57 individual pieces, the heaviest of which will weigh 20 tonnes, and must be able to support the 6,000 tonne weight of the tanks when they are full. They must also allow for movement as the tanks will be emptied and steam-cleaned every three days.
The contract has been awarded by Simon Carves Ltd, who are designing and constructing the facility on behalf of the Ensus Group. Evans will start on site in March 2008 and work is due to be completed by August 2008.
Garry McBride, chairman of Evans, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Simon Carves Ltd on what will be one of the world’s largest bio-ethanol production facilities. This is a first of a kind project in a new sector for us but we have the expert knowledge required to complete the work successfully and we’re looking forward to the challenges ahead.”
The new facility is a step towards reducing the UK’s dependency on fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions. When complete, the site will take delivery of 120 boat-loads of wheat per day and the fuel produced will reach the high street by 2012.
