The new steam drying initiative represents a major investment of approximately €50 million (£43 million), aimed at cutting 50,000 tonnes of Scope 1 carbon emissions from the site’s operations.
Supported by a €8.8 million (£7.5 million) grant from the UK government’s Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (IETF), the funding has been instrumental in progressing the project. Construction has already begun, with commissioning targeted for autumn 2026.
Wissington is the largest of British Sugar’s four UK factories and is marking its centenary this year, having opened in 1925. Today, it processes more than three million tonnes of sugar beet annually, yielding around 400,000 tonnes of sugar and multiple co-products.
Reducing energy use and emissions
While British Sugar has significantly reduced its energy consumption — cutting the amount of steam needed in processing by more than half in recent years — Wissington remains a high energy user.
At present, three gas-powered...
