The ambitious plan will involve the execution of a roadmap comprising several projects which will see Midleton Distillery phase out the use of fossil fuels to power its operation, putting them on track to become Ireland’s first and largest carbon neutral distillery.
Part of the carbon neutral roadmap will benefit from grant aid provided by Enterprise Ireland with the first three phases alone expecting to reduce emissions by up to 70%.
Leo Clancy, Enterprise Ireland CEO said: “Supporting Irish companies to reduce their carbon footprint is a key strategic priority for Enterprise Ireland. Distilling is an energy intensive process and Irish Distillers is committed to significantly reducing emissions and making a positive environmental impact across all areas of their business.
“Their plans to leverage break-through emissions reducing technologies will in turn provide a blueprint for the industry and other distilleries in Ireland.”
In operation since 1975, Midleton Distillery is Ireland’s largest distillery, producing more than 70 million litres of pure alcohol per year.
It is home to some of the world’s most well-known Irish whiskeys including Jameson, Powers and Redbreast.
Tommy Keane, operations director at Irish Distillers, added: “With the climate crisis at a critical juncture, Irish Distillers is committed to reducing our environmental impact across our entire value chain and an area that we cannot ignore is how we power our distillery. We are committed to doing the right thing for our industry, people, and communities.”
Since 2010, Irish Distillers has invested more than €100 million to improve operational efficiency at the distillery, which has already resulted in a 30% reduction in energy consumption and 47% reduction in C02 emissions per litre of alcohol produced over the last 12 years.
