Case study: Gladstone Docks, Port of Liverpool

Background:-
The joint experience of HBPW and John Graham Construction working on the huge Immingham Renewable Fuels Terminal, was instrumental in winning it the contract to complete the civil engineering design of Liverpool’s £100m biomass facility.

 

 

The Challenge
To create a facility at Gladstone Docks that would handle up to three million tonnes of wood pellets a year – delivered from North America – to help drive Drax Power Station’s decarbonisation programme in Selby, North Yorkshire. Wood pellets are a by-product of the commercial forestry and saw-milling industry and are a sustainable low carbon fuel source.

Solution
To design three huge silos measuring 40 metres by 50 metres high capable of holding a combined total of 100,000 tonnes of wood pellets, which could be offloaded from vessels utilising Continuous Ship Unloaders (CSUs), before being deposited into the silos via a conveyor belt system.

Outcome
In transitioning from coal to sustainable biomass Drax has been able to reduce its CO2 footprint by some 12m tonnes per annum, the equivalent of removing 10% of cars from UK roads. All arriving wood pellets are transported to Drax by rail, ensuring there is no impact on the road network. The new terminal has also created new jobs both at Drax and in the wider supply chain. HBPW and John Graham Construction were part of the team that went on to win the ‘Large Project’ category of the Institution of Civil Engineers’ North West Awards in Blackpool.