WIREDGOV

£3.4 million awarded as applications for funding re-open.

The first recipients of a fund set up to help Scotland’s manufacturing industries reduce emissions have been announced.

Eight companies will share £3.4 million through the first round of the Scottish Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (SIETF), with additional private funding bringing total investment across the projects to more than £10 million.

Projects awarded funding include the conversion of gas combustion furnaces to a cleaner, oxy-fuel system at a glass manufacturing plant, and a feasibility study into capturing CO2 during the fermentation process at a whisky distillery.

They will reduce emissions by an estimated 14,000 tonnes of CO2e a year by the time they are completed, saving the equivalent of the annual emissions from 5,200 households.

Up to £34 million of Scottish Government funding will be made available through the lifetime of the five-year SIETF, which runs until 2026. A second round of applications is now open.

Net Zero and Energy Secretary Michael Matheson recently said:

“Bold, urgent and collective action is required across all sectors to ensure we become a net-zero economy by 2045 at the latest.

“The Scottish Industrial Energy Transformation Fund is providing substantial, tangible support to help industry and our manufacturing sector decarbonise in response to our climate targets.

“The Fund will support a wide range of manufacturing companies to commit to lowering emissions and future-proofing their operations. I hope many more will follow suit and look forward to the next round of applications supporting just that.”

UK Accounting Manager of O-I Glass Limited Paul Boreham recently said:

“The Oxy-fuel furnace will enable O-I Glass to increase its UK spirits production, taking away demand for glass from other countries. SIETF funding will enable us to successfully complete this project, boosting Scotland’s manufacturing industry, for the community and workforce alike.”