Rexam Glass, Rexam Glass exploits cheap gas from disused mines

Manufacturing News, Source : The Manufacturer
Published : 10 Apr 2002 10:10

Rexam Glass is the first manufacturing company in the UK to take advantage of its natural resources by tapping into methane gas from disused mines through a borehole underneath its Barnsley plant.

The initiative will provide the company with a cost efficient new energy supply. The Rt Hon Paul Boateng, financial secretary to the Treasury, and Chris Scholey, managing director of Rexam Glass Barnsley switched on the gas supply at 12.30pm on Monday, 11th March 2002.

The project to drill for methane gas started 18 months ago. With gas prices increasing by 50 per cent in 2000 and the company’s annual energy costs rocketing to around £8million, the company was keen to pursue an alternative but environmentally sound fuel solution.

Rexam expects to reduce its North Sea gas energy consumption by around 10 to 15 per cent. The mines’ gas will be combined with North Sea fuel for use in one of Rexam’s five glass furnaces. When released naturally into the atmosphere, methane is 21 times more harmful to the ozone layer than CO2, so Rexam’s use of the gas is good news for the environment.

Chris Scholey says: “We are constantly looking at ways to reduce our energy consumption, to not only cut costs, but to fulfil our obligations under the Climate Change Levy negotiated agreements. We are very excited about this highly innovative project and expect that the methane gas beneath the site will help fire our furnace burners for up to 10 years.”

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