Heineken UK is set to invest £25 million in its Manchester brewery as part of its commitment to decarbonise its UK production. This investment aligns with Heineken’s broader sustainability goals, which include achieving decarbonisation of UK production by 2030. The initiative also supports Manchester’s aspiration to become a net zero city by 2038.
The Manchester brewery project received a £3.7 million grant from the Department of Energy, Security & Net Zero to support the investment. Heineken’s Tadcaster and Hereford sites, along with the entire value chain, will also undergo decarbonisation measures as part of a phased plan until 2040.
The investment in the Manchester facility will lead to a significant reduction of up to 45% in gas consumption and carbon emissions. This brewery currently produces 700 million pints of Heineken, Birra Moretti, and Foster’s each year.
Energy efficiency and green finance minister Martin Callanan said: “Heat pumps are key to helping us decarbonise our heating and I’m delighted to see government funding go towards such an innovative scheme that will help cut emissions and show businesses how to move away from costly fossil fuels.”
The heat pumps will be powered by renewably sourced electricity, retrieving and distributing heat through an interconnected network across the facility from brewing to packaging. “By introducing this circular process, waste heat is redistributed from the brewing process to replace the thermal energy previously generated from burning fossil fuels,” said Heineken.
“The second phase of the brewery’s journey to reduce its carbon emissions will be the decarbonisation of the brewhouse, which is scheduled to take place in 2024. The third and final stage will require the site to use additional alternative renewable energy, which work is underway to identify,” the company added.
