A GREEN power plant which is set to become Europe’s biggest wheat refinery has taken its first delivery of grain.
Ten trucks unloaded about 300 tonnes of wheat at the Ensus plant, at Wilton, Teesside, last week.
The exercise was designed to test the plant’s grain delivery systems ahead of its opening later this year or early next year.
More regular deliveries are expected as the plant moves through commissioning.
The cereal grain – of which there is a massive surplus in the UK and Europe – is supplied by international commodity trading company, Glencore.
Alwyn Hughes, chief executive of Ensus, said: “The arrival of the first grain went really well and is a key milestone for everyone involved in this important construction project.
“It has been a great team effort. The plant is now moving into the full commissioning stage and we are on track to make ethanol by the end of the year.”
The plant will use 1.1 million tonnes of wheat a year to produce enough bioethanol to take the equivalent of 300,000 cars off the road.
The main byproduct will be about 350,000 tonnes of high-protein animal feed, which should play a key role in reducing and replacing imports of soya meal.
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