Work starts on £60.5M Rothes biomass plant
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Helius CoRDe managing director Frank Burns and chief executive of the Scottish Whisky Association, Gavin Hewitt, at the site of the £60.5 million biomass plant.
?WORK is officially underway on a £60.5 million biomass plant in the heart of Speyside.
The Helius CoRDe venture in Rothes will use distillery by-products to generate 7.2MW of electricity - enough to power 9,000 homes.
It will also produce animal feed while reducing carbon emissions - in line with the whisky industry’s 2009 pledge to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
Cutting the turf at the site, chief executive of the Scottish Whisky Association, Gavin Hewitt, said the venture demonstrated the creation of a "virtuous circle" within the Scotch Whisky production process.
"The project is an excellent example of what can be achieved through collaboration between Scotch Whisky distillers.
"It will also be a welcome boost to the region in these challenging economic times," Mr Hewitt said.
The combined heat and power plant, which has been six years in the planning, is thought to be the first of its kind in the world.
About 100 jobs will be created during construction and the plant will employ around 20 full-time staff when operational in 2013.
