Essity, a global hygiene and health company, is playing a leading role in driving change to reduce the company’s climate impact. Their Carbon Reduction Plan includes a programme to reduce the CO2 emissions from their UK tissue manufacturing plants. Stopford is delighted to be part of Essity’s net zero journey, as their engineering delivery partner.
Essity has been selected to receive funding by the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ) to undertake demonstrations in which they will switch their fuel from natural gas to hydrogen at their Tawd Paper Mill in Skelmersdale. This will enable Essity to demonstrate that they can successfully reduce their carbon footprint by using low carbon hydrogen to manufacture their products.
The programme running the demonstrations, named ‘HyNet Industrial Fuel Switching: 2’, is funded through the UK Government’s £55m Industrial Fuel Switching Competition, as part of the £1bn Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP). It will reveal how major manufacturing sites can switch away from fossil gas to low carbon hydrogen within the coming years. The work will enable decarbonisation across a range of industry sectors, making a critical contribution to the UK’s journey to Net Zero carbon emissions.
The demonstration project at the Tawd site will involve replacing the burners on the drying equipment, to ascertain if they can safely and efficiently use hydrogen as an alternative fuel. Stopford is providing Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Project Management Services (EPCM), and completed the feasibility study in phase 1.
Andrew Hearns, Essity’s Project Manager said, ‘If successful at Tawd, the hydrogen fuel switching technology could be rolled out to our other sites around the UK including Manchester’s Trafford Park and Oakenholt in North Wales.’
Deb Pal Stopford’s Consultancy Director said, “Our ambition is to ‘lead the way in engineering a sustainable world through the transition to a low carbon economy’. Hydrogen fuel switching is key to achieving net zero for the hard to abate industrial sectors. HyNet provides a route for Essity and companies in the Northwest to decarbonise.”
About Essity
Essity is a leading global hygiene and health company. We are dedicated to improving well-being through our products and services. Sales are conducted in approximately 150 countries under the leading global brands TENA and Tork, and other strong brands, such as Actimove, JOBST, Knix, Leukoplast, Libero, Libresse, Lotus, Modibodi, Nosotras, Saba, Tempo, TOM Organic, Vinda and Zewa. Essity has about 48,000 employees. Net sales in 2022 amounted to approximately SEK 156bn (EUR 15bn). The company’s headquarters is located in Stockholm, Sweden, and Essity is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. Essity breaks barriers to well-being and contributes to a healthy, sustainable and circular society.
More information at: Essity
About HyNet
HyNet is a low carbon energy project at the forefront of the UK’s journey to a Net Zero future, being developed by a consortium of world-leading organisations. From the mid-2020’s, HyNet will produce, store and distribute hydrogen as well as capturing and storing carbon. It will decarbonise the Northwest of England and North Wales through the creation of state of-the-art infrastructure.
The HyNet consortium includes Progressive Energy, Cadent, Essar, INOVYN, Eni, University of Chester, Vertex Hydrogen, Viridor and Hanson.
More information at: HyNet North West
About Stopford
Stopford is an international multi-disciplinary consultancy, engineering design and project management services company founded in 1982, headquartered in the UK. We work with companies around the world in emerging and existing industries. Our professional services are delivered by our service groups: Technology & Innovation, Consultancy and Projects. The groups bring together complimentary engineering and environmental disciplines, with over 40 years of insight and practical experience across the Resource Recovery, Energy, Water & Wastewater, Transport & Aviation Sectors. Our ambition is to lead the way in engineering a sustainable world through the transition to a low carbon economy.
More information at: Stopford