St Austell

St Austell Brewery C02 Supplier Switch

To switch to a more sustainable supply of C02 for our breweries and significantly reduce the supply delivery mileage thus reducing our scope 3 emissions.

Since the CO₂ industry shortage in 2018 St. Austell has sought to find a more sustainable source of CO₂ and in March 2021 switched supply to Biocarbonics. Based in the Westcountry, Biocarbonics have a unique business plan that supplies CO₂ from totally renewable sources, not as a by-product from ammonia and fertiliser production.

Their new plant which is based on an HRH Duchy owned farm in Dorset produces CO₂ from maize and allows a more sustainable supply of locally sourced CO₂.

Green CO₂ is captured from Biogas plants
Biogas is produced by anaerobic digestion of green feedstocks and injected into the UK gas grid (Biomethane)
The electricity used in production is generated from on-site, green CHP (Combined Heat & Power) plants with excess electricity diverted to grid.
The digestate is used to fertilise the energy crops and is also sold commercially
BioCarbonics is focusing on customers around SW England, significantly reducing CO2 distribution miles
- Return mileage from our past suppliers to St Austell were :
  - Tilbury (BOC, Nippon) – 570 miles
  - Billingham (AP, Nippon, BOC, AL) – 830 miles
  - Trafford Park (BOC) – 640 miles
  - Ince (AL) – 640 miles
- Return mileage from Poundbury:
  - To St Austell – 260 miles
  - To Bath Ales – 126 miles

Photovoltaic Solar Generation, Bath Ales Phase 2

Installing an additional 120Kwp array, optimised with Solar Edge to further our renewable energy output

The additional 120Kwp array being installed at the Hare Brewery as part of Phase 2 will supplement the 250kWp Solar PV array installed at the site in April 2019. This additional solar array of will mean the production efficiencies at the Hare Brewery are further enhanced by capitalising on existing warehouse roof space.

In 2020 St. Austell Brewery switched to 100% REGO backed energy and, with the additional generation of solar power at its distribution site at St. Columb, already generates over 400k KWH of solar power per year (enough to power St. Austell’s full distribution operation or 100 houses each year). The Phase 2 systems will provide a further 30 Tonnes/year CO₂ savings, delivering CSR benefits and protecting against future energy price increases.

St Austell Brewery Waste Reduction

St. Austell continually seek to reduce waste and actively recycle as much as is possible.

St. Austell have a new waste contact with Cornwall Waste Solutions (CWS) who tailor collections, disposals, recycling and recovery of commercial, liquid and dry waste. St. Austell’s waste stats are highlighted below.

Both general waste and food waste at St. Austell are converted into energy by local incineration and anaerobic digestion facilities.

Effluent Plant at St Austell Brewery

To significantly reduce St. Austell Brewery effluent discharge to South West Water and recycle water.

In 2018 St Austell Brewery invested £1.6m in a new wastewater recycling and management plant that is now saving the business up to 65% in monthly waste water charges.

Despite a series of contractual, regulatory and production process related challenges, which were all further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the plant was commissioned at the beginning of summer 2021.

Additional savings will be made from the operation of the in-built, bio-methane burner which is designed to generate up to 65 kWh of electricity which power the plant and any access energy will be fed back into the grid.

The plant is designed to treat the final heavy effluent from the brewing process which in the past was collected to tank and then removed from site by road tanker, resulting in the removal of circa 100 tanker movements per year from St Austell to Holsworthy, generating an annual saving of approximately £30k.

In the future with the installation of filtration, treatment and storage equipment at the end of the new process it will be possible to treat the effluent back to potable water to be used for hosing down and cleaning purposes which would allow St. Austell to reduce the volume of water abstracted from the Brake and reduce or eliminate South West Water charges altogether.