The construction of a £65million bio-energy plant has ensured a jobs boost in Scotland. The plant, which is being built at the Diageo Scotland’s Cameronbridge Distillery site in Fife, will create 20 long-term jobs and 100 construction jobs during the three-year building phase. The facility will generate renewable energy from spent wash, which is a mixture of wheat, malted barley, yeast and water produced during distillation and will replace 95% of the plant’s fossil fuel energy usage. The development of the plant is seen as a showcase example of how major industries can incorporate greener energy production into their long-term development plans. The announcement of the project has been welcomed by the construction industry, as it will increase the number of jobs in construction and engineering in the area. The plant already supports 100 workers and this development will effectively double the workforce over the three-year build period, and ensure that additional jobs are maintained once the plant is completed. Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond has said that the construction of the plant will add to the momentum of Scotland’s reputation as a leader in green energy. The switch over to bio-energy by the plant will remove 56,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually, the equivalent of taking 44,000 family cars off the road. Other major companies will be watching the development with interest as although the initial investment is large, the benefits in the long term may prove to be more sustainable. Diageo is building the plant in partnership with Dalkia, who work with over 3,000 national and international companies providing technical facility management and energy management services. The project is further proof that although the construction industry may have suffered at the beginning of the current recession, major infrastructure projects are still going ahead, ensuring that construction jobs are protected in some of the most vulnerable regions of the country. Government support for major construction projects is seen as vital if the industry is to weather the current economic crisis, particularly as the private housing sector has been so badly hit by the downturn. Major developments such as the bio-energy plant offer some level of protection to construction & engineering jobs and also widen construction workers’ skill-sets into the field of greener building techniques. The Scottish government wants half of the country’s electricity to be generated from renewable sources by 2020, and projects such as this mean that the construction workforce is experienced in working on renewable energy-based construction projects. Skills gained in this form of construction are not just relevant to the UK; as the world starts to take the prospect of climate change seriously renewable energy production has become more of a priority for all economies. This means that new building methods and designs will be more in demand, and the UK is at the cutting edge of environmental construction techniques and design. The construction industry believes that over the next 20 years workers with experience in this form of construction will be very much in demand both in the UK and abroad. Construction is currently the UK’s largest industry and employs in the region of 2 million people.
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