Plevin is making ‘final adjustments’ to its £5 million waste wood recovery facility in Hazlehead, South Yorkshire, with full operations at the site expected to start in the coming weeks.

Described as the UK’s ‘largest’ waste wood recovery centre, the 50-acre site will process up to 150,000 tonnes of waste wood each year.

Plevin's Hazelhead facility is set to open in the coming weeks

The site was hit by a fire in April, with fire crews attending after “a small amount of smouldering” was discovered in a processed wood pile during routine checks. 

The facility will primarily manufacture biomass as part of its 25-year contract as the sole supplier of fuel for energy giant E.ON’s £120 million energy plant near Sheffield.

Currently under construction at Blackburn Meadows, E.ON’s 180,000 tonnes per year capacity biomass facility is expected to open later this year – perhaps as early as this summer. 

The site first began receiving waste wood 12 months ago, with the biomass production undergoing commissioning in preparation for the E.ON contract, which Plevin described as the “most lucrative contract” in its history upon signing the deal in 2011.

Plevin said it worked with equipment manufacturer Vecoplan AG to develop a ‘bespoke’ facility capable of processing up to eight tonnes of wood per hour.

'Despite a number of challenges, we’re pleased to see work progressing at Hazlehead and are delighted that our new facility will be a key part in creating greener, renewable energy from a product that would otherwise have been sent to landfill.'

Jamie Plevin, managing director at Plevin

In addition, Plevin has invested £500,000 in 10 moving floor trailers with the capacity to hold up to 25% more wood than the existing trailers. This enables staff to make fewer journeys and is expected to save more than 330,000kg of carbon dioxide emissions each year.

According to the company, the facility has created 20 jobs with plans for further recruitment in future.

Jamie Plevin, managing director of Plevin, said: “Despite a number of challenges, we’re pleased to see work progressing at Hazlehead and are delighted that our new facility will be a key part in creating greener, renewable energy from a product that would otherwise have been sent to landfill.”

Article Updated: 04/01/2019