The proposed £50 million biomass project will use whisky distillery by-products to fuel a 7.2 MWe GreenSwitch® biomass combined heat and power plant and a GreenFields® plant which will turn the liquid co-product of whisky production, known as Pot Ale, into a concentrated organic fertiliser and an animal feed for use by local farmers, Helius Energy says.

Helius CoRDe will create a dedicated company which will be responsible for the financing, construction and operation of the biomass combined heat and power plant.

Frank Burns, General Manager of CoRD, says: “The ability to generate renewable heat and power and secure additional markets for our distillery co-products is a very exciting development for the malt whisky industry on Speyside.”

John Seed, Managing Director of Helius Energy, adds: “Biomass will play a major role in meeting the UK’s targets for emissions reductions, and this is a model that has the potential to be rolled-out elsewhere. Drinking green whisky may give you a warm glow but it’ll also help to avoid warming the planet.”

It is anticipated that Engineering Procurement and Construction Contracts will be awarded shortly, allowing construction of the biomass plant to begin in early 2010, with around two years for construction and building, which is likely to generate between 20 and 100 jobs.