Transport and Infrastructure Planning
For your Development

Vireol

Bio-ethanol Plants

EAS Transport Planning is providing Vireol plc with transportation advice on two of the UK's largest bioethanol plants proposed for sites at Teesside and Humberside.

Background


Vireol is a socially responsible company promoting measures to reduce green house gases.  The two proposed bioethanol plants at Teesside and Humberside will be state-of-the-art facilities employing around seventy people at each site.  They will use wheat to produce 150,000 tonnes of bioethanol each per day to be used as a 5% blend in petrol, making significant contributions to the growing renewable fuel market and helping fulfill recent EU and UK Government directives.

Ethanol is being used increasingly for vehicle fuel throughout the world as a renewable alternative to fossil fuels.  Some of the benefits of using ethanol in vehicle fuel in addition to its renewable credentials include potential reductions in toxins and carcinogens, and reduced emissions of greenhouse gases and carbon monoxide when compared to the combustion of fossil fuels alone.

The proposed bioethanol plants will consume wheat produced locally from the north-east of England that is ideal for ethanol production, being high in starch content.  The wheat grain (or alternative) is mixed with several chemicals and enzymes before its starch is converted into glucose and fermentable sugars which can be converted into alcohol by yeast. The bioethanol is proposed to be used as a 5% blend in petrol to satisfy the governments Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO).

Key Issues

The bioethanol plants generate a potentially significant volume of HGV movements, associated with the grain delivery and ethanol removal.  The ethanol is to be pumped off site to storage facilities.  The HGV movements delivering grain use the existing road network between the sites and the strategic network.  The assessment of these movements must be agreed with the Highways Agency as well as the local highway authority.

EAS Solutions

EAS has produced assessments for both sites in discussion with local highway authorities and the Highways Agency.

The site at Humberside in Grimsby has been granted planning permission following detailed discussions including Section 106 negotiations to agree suitable restrictions on times of HGV movements

EAS has prepared studies for:

  • Preparation of Transport Assessments;
  • Preparation of Environmental Statement transport chapters;
  • Negotiation with local high authority and the Highways Agency;
  • Section 106 negotiations.

 

 

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