British Sugar launches US$49M steam dryer project to cut emissions at Wissington plant
The investment is set to reduce Scope 1 emissions by 50,000 tonnes annually, boosting British Sugar’s net zero ambition.
UK -British Sugar has unveiled plans to invest £43 million (US$49M) in two new steam dryers at its Wissington factory in west Norfolk, marking the company’s largest-ever decarbonisation project.
The initiative is set to eliminate 50,000 tonnes of Scope 1 carbon emissions per year from the site’s operations.
The project has also secured a £7.5 million (US$8.56M) grant from the UK government’s Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (IETF), which has been instrumental in advancing the development.
Construction at the site has already begun, with commissioning expected by autumn 2026.
Celebrating its centenary year, Wissington is British Sugar’s largest processing site, converting more than three million tonnes of sugar beet annually into around 400,000 tonnes of sugar and multiple co-products.
Despite improvements that have halved steam usage over recent years, the site remains a high consumer of heat and electricity due to the energy-intensive nature of sugar production.
Currently, the site uses three gas-powered dryers to process beet pulp into animal feed. The new steam dryers will replace the existing units and be installed in a 25m x 15m structure, approximately 20 metres high, located at the core of the manufacturing area.
This initiative follows a £17 million (US$19.4M) investment in 2023 for new evaporators, heat exchangers, and other processing equipment.
Combined, the two projects are projected to cut 80,000 tonnes of Scope 1 emissions, representing a 25% overall reduction at Wissington.
Phil McNaughton, head of decarbonisation at British Sugar, emphasized the importance of the government’s funding support. “This project would not be possible without significant investment from the IETF. It marks another step-change in our decarbonisation journey. Removing 50,000 tonnes of Scope 1 carbon emissions per annum from our site is a significant milestone.”
The company has set a long-term target of reaching net zero emissions by 2050, and this steam drying project is a key advancement towards that goal.
British Sugar operates four factories across the UK, with Wissington being a cornerstone of its production network since opening in 1925.
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