Lanoyce Horticultural Nurseries, based near Saltash in Cornwall, has today 'switched on' the first biomass woodchip boiler in the region to be funded under the South West Bio-Heat Programme.

Lanoyce Nurseries grow cut-flowers, mainly for UK supermarkets such as Sainsbury's. The installation of the 500kW woodchip boiler, supplied by Wood Energy, will use some 500 tonnes of wood and save around 400 tonnes of CO2 a year, reducing their heating costs from the previous oil-fired boilers by some £40-45K annually.

The South West Bio-Heat Programme was launched in 2007 with £650,000 funding from the South West RDA and £10,000 from the Forestry Commission is being run by Regen SW. The programme advised business and organisations on the practicalities of installing a biomass boiler which uses woodfuel from sustainably managed woodland and other biodegradable crops, wastes and residues to create green energy. The programme was such a success that the South West RDA was awarded £3 million in April 2008 by Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to invest in 30 bioheat projects across the region, including Lanoyce.

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Mark Prior, Woodfuel Partnership Officer for the South West RDA, which is committed to achieving a net-zero carbon annual investment portfolio by 2013, said: "Our region is leading by example in the field of renewable energies and it is particularly pleasing to see Lanoyce Nurseries become the first company under the South West Bio-Heat Programme to install and start using a woodchip boiler.

"Developing alternative sources of energy, both for heating and electricity, is vital in tackling climate change and promoting a low-carbon, resource efficient economy in the South West."

Once all 30 projects under the South West Bio-Heat Programme are up and running they will provide the region with up to 32MW of renewable heat and save an estimated 7,000 tonnes of carbon a year.

The South West currently has some 16MW of biomass heat installed, the highest number of biomass boilers in England and the second largest amount of woodland resources after the South East, which makes it ideally placed to grow this sector of renewable energy.

(JM)