Powerday Begins Grade A Wood Production

Powerday has begun production of grade A woodchips as part of the company’s focus on managing the materials produced by its operations as sustainably as possible.

The company produces around 40,000 tonnes of wood waste annually which is used as a biomass fuel. However, in keeping with the company’s commitment to make best use of the materials it recycles and move those up the waste hierarchy, the new grade A product is being recycled in the production of composite panel boards.

Most of the remaining mixed grade woodchips go to the Ridham Docks biomass plant as part of a long-term contract with MVV Environment. The modern plant generates 23 megawatts at the docks on the Swale in Kent, using approximately 172,000 tonnes of wood. In 2018, Powerday alone delivered around 24,000 tonnes of wood, enough to keep the boiler going for a little under 1,200 hours. During this time, the biomass power plant generated about 27,500 megawatt hours of CO2-neutral electrical energy, sufficient to power almost 7,000 households and saving the emission of more than 12,000 tonnes of CO2.

The waste wood material is produced at the company’s Materials Recycling Facilities in Willesden Junction and Enfield and is largely derived from mixed wood collected from construction sites in and around London.

Simon Little, Sales & Marketing Director, Powerday says: “Powerday is continually exploring circular opportunities and more sustainable solutions for materials, and is committed, where possible, to retaining the value of the UK’s materials in the UK. With our lower grade waste wood going to a UK based state-of-the-art CHP plant, this latest development ensures that the waste materials our clients produce are managed in the best way, not just for them but for the environment and the UK economy.”

In November 2018, Powerday joined the Wood Recycling Association (WRA) which provides a voice for this growing industry. According to the WRA, the UK produces over 5 million tonnes of waste wood and supplies 1.5 million tonnes of processed waste wood to UK biomass facilities a year.

Find out more about Powerday’s wood recycling services.  If you are looking to purchase wood waste products, please get in contact.