Latest news
Autumn 2011
Progress continues apace at DWP
Additional investment has been made since spring as we continue to develop and fine-tune the production process. Our timber processing facilities are now fully up and running, allowing us to debark, chip, dry and grind our own feedstock and giving full control over particle size and moisture content prior to pelleting. The installation of a new overhead bulk loading system will smooth the loading of loose bulk pellets making smaller-quantity, compartmentalised, loading more convenient. Additional screening at the final point prior to loading provides continued assurance that fines and dust are at the lowest possible levels on leaving the factory gate.
Last season’s production and sales targets were comfortably achieved and, pleasingly, sales have proved to be much higher than expected over the intervening months, thanks, it would seem, to the coolest UK summer for 18 years. This promising position has given us the confidence to create additional employment in both our feedstock processing and pellet manufacturing areas.
Customers can sleep soundly knowing that we keep a good stockholding at all times. We have the capacity to hold up to 500 tonnes of loose pellets along with a similar quantity of bagged pellets at any one time. Over the last two winters, probably the worst for many years, we have not missed an order for want of stock, nor for that matter have we missed a delivery due to bad weather. We are most grateful to our loyal returning customers as well as those who tried us for the first time last season. We now look forward to serving you again over the coming winter season.
DWP supply Forestry Commission NYM sites
We were proud to be awarded the contract for wood pellet supply to the Forestry Commission’s North York Moors Estate. This successful outcome was due in part to our ability to show the sustainability credentials of our wood pellets, combined with the low carbon mileage associated with their delivery within our region. The FSC certification of our wood pellets guarantees CPET compliance, so satisfying the UK Government’s timber procurement policy. Timber is sourced from local managed forestry in close proximity to our production facility and processed on site at Melmerby by our sister company, Duffield Timber, before being transferred to the pellet plant. Delivery of our wood pellets, within our region, will typically incur a total traveling distance of 70 miles or less from forestry source to customer store.
RHI will pay to keep warm
The UK Government’s announcement of the details of its Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) through the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), on 10 March 2011 was warmly welcomed by biomass producers, suppliers and prospective users alike. This proposes the provision of a financial incentive to users of both commercial and domestic heating systems utilising renewable fuel (including wood pellets), based on the amount of heat generated, subject to qualification criteria. This could mean payments of up to 7.6p per kWh generated for wood pellet systems under 200kW in size – and these payments would be available for up to 20 years. The initiative is calculated to encourage a shift from the current reliance on increasingly costly and uncertain fossil fuel supplies and offer a more promising energy future for the UK in terms of carbon reduction and security of supply.
New Wood Pellet Standards
Moves are presently underway in the industry to establish a common wood pellet quality assurance certification scheme, complete with a distinct brand identity, which will serve as additional reassurance to users that the pellets they buy meet the required technical and quality standards. A number of accreditation schemes are currently being touted commercially and the final choice of scheme for adoption is, as yet, unclear. At present Duffield Wood Pellets are collating and reviewing the relevant documentation relating to our production and quality control activities in preparation for accreditation assessment. However, customers should be assured that we continue to manufacture our pellets to fall within the EN 14961-2 A1 grade which is the published European technical specification standard for premium quality wood pellets. Essentially this label indicates that pellets meeting this specification are manufactured from virgin timber and chemically untreated wood residues low in ash, nitrogen and chlorine. Our pellets are analysed on a regular basis to ensure that we continue to deliver the highest quality product to our customers.
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For further information contact: -
Duffield Wood Pellets, Green Lane, Melmerby, Ripon, North Yorkshire HG4 5JB.
Telephone: 01765 640564
email: info@duffieldwoodpellets.com
