Factory hoping to turn wood dust into electricity

A door company says it holds the key to turning wood dust into electricity to help power its factory.

It's part of a new multimillion-pound investment by O&S Doors.

The company says the onsite renewable heat and energy technology is "a first on the island of Ireland".

Currently the company takes wood dust left over from the manufacturing process and ships it to England where it is used as animal bedding or sent to landfill.

But the company - located just outside Benburb in County Tyrone - has revealed new details of its plans to install a biomass-fuelled combined heat and power system.

It will turn the dust into millions of units of electricity that can reused to power parts of the factory.

Dermot O'Brien from the company said the dust was a by-product of its manufacturing process to make kitchen doors.

"It's a technology we've been working on for about eight years, and we plan to be generating our own electricity by early 2027," he said.

"It will be a first on this entire island and we're proud of that.

"As a business we're always looking to grow and electricity is our biggest annual bill, so if we can a convert a by-product of our manufacturing into electricity that will have an impact."

Medium-density fibreboard (MDF) dust is a by-product created when cutting, sanding, or machining engineered wood panels

O&S Doors says its biomass-fuelled combined heat and power system will harness MDF dust.

The company says it will turn MDF dust, which is normally transported offsite for processing in Europe or to landfill, into 6.3m units of energy to power its heating and manufacturing processes.

It is expected that new system will burn in excess of 10,000 tonnes of MDF dust per year to generate to generate 1MW of electricity which will save 1,500 tonnes of carbon per annum from the company's operations.

The scheme is being funded as part of the Irish government's €20m (£17m) Shared Island Sustainability Capital Grant scheme.

Announced in in December, €10m is being made available in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Projects were being offered funding if they could demonstrate an ambition to "integrate sustainable technologies to decarbonise industrial operations".

Three County Tyrone Company successfully applied for funding in Northern Ireland, including O&S Doors.

It included £9m investment by O&S Doors to install a biomass-fuelled Combined Heat and Power (CHP) system.

The investment is co-funded by the Shared Island Sustainability Capital Grant Scheme, with a grant of £2.4m.

It's part of a wider Shared Ireland Fund that includes money being put towards getting flights from Dublin to Londonderry up and running.

Money from the fund was also earmarked to go towards stalled projects like the A5 road and Casement Park stadium.

First Minister Michelle O'Neill visited the County Tyrone factory to hear more about how the investment would be used.

Speaking to BBC News NI she said: "What a fabulous success story this is, a local success story that has gone from strength to strength over many years. And it's been great to see first hand the work that goes on here.

"This technology is going to be so transformative, and it pretty much is leading the way and a really good example of how companies will further develop into the future ."

Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald called O&S Doors an "ambitious and innovative company" and said the project would "deliver for the company and the working together of economic agencies throughout the island".

There have been recent announcements in the County Tyrone area of potential factory closures.

More than 300 jobs are at risk at Linden Foods retail packing facility in Granville, Dungannon.

Commenting on this issue the economy minister said: "I think we recognise the impact this uncertainty has on workers and their families and are thoughts are with them.

"We'll continue to work alongside the company and Invest NI and support those workers in the time ahead."

O'Neill added that there were local opportunities and said: "We'll do everything we can to support [the workers]."

BBC News NI asked O&S Doors if the savings made in the renewable heat and energy technology could eventually lead to further job creation in the Mid Ulster area.

Dermot O'Brien said: "We employ about 400 people in the area already, it's a very loyal workforce, so if more job opportunities come up as part of our growth and sustainability, then we will be delighted to take people into this business, and we're always recruiting."