Biomass exceeds expectations at Stansted

April 7, 2009

Biomass exceeds expectations at Stansted

Part of the £50 million terminal extension at Stansted Airport completed in 2008 was the introduction of the biomass technology to make the development carbon neutral, and to provide support for the gas-fired boilers that have heated the terminal since the early 90s.

Now, following one of the coldest winters on record for 13 years, Stansted Airport has revealed that its state-of-the-art biomass boiler has exceeded all expectations and helped reduce the predicted annual gas consumption at the site by nearly 40%.

"To say we're delighted with the performance of the new biomass boiler is an understatement," said Andy Jefferson, head of environment at Stansted Airport.

"We set out to ensure the recent terminal extension would be carbon neutral, but performance data so far indicated those savings go much further with results between November 2008 and March 2009 alone showing that gas consumption at Stansted was around 60% of the predicted forecasts for this period; and over 30% lower than the same period the previous year. And all this despite it being one of the coldest winters on record for over a decade.

"Whilst initiatives such as our asset replacement programme have contributed to these overall results, the introduction of biomass technology has by far been the largest contributor. We have one of the largest biomass boilers in commercial use for heating in the UK at present and cannot express enough how satisfied we are with its performance to date.

"But we will not become complacent and will continue our efforts to influence schemes aimed at reducing emission sources on the ground at Stansted, a current example of which is our participation in a working group to encourage single engine taxiing of aircraft, information on which we shall share in more detail later in the year."

The efforts of Stansted Airport will be welcome news to an industry that has received more than its fair share of criticism, not least due to the recent announcement that the expansion of Heathrow Airport has received the green light.

Yet despite airlines and airports doing there part to offset carbon emissions, research carried out by Holiday Extras has shown that many travellers are unaware of any action they can take to do their bit. The survey results indicated that 62% respondents did not even know where to start.

If you are looking for ways to offset your carbon emissions, visit www.direct.gov.uk/actonCO2.