Ground broken on County Durham sustainable wine bottling plant

Work has commenced on a £20m wine bottling facility in Stanley which is to be powered entirely by renewable energy.The Lanchester Group has brought the development of the 220,000 sq ft Greencroft Two plant forward by 12 months, with work now expected to be completed in 2020.Once operational, the facility will be powered using energy generated by three on-site wind turbines and one million watts of solar panels.An electricity storage system is being developed with battery manufacturers, which will support the factory’s energy requirements during periods when the sun or wind does not generate enough.The building will also become the first in the world heated by reusing heat produced during the process of cooling sparkling wine bottled at the facility, using technology developed by Lanchester Group.Julian Critchlow, director general, energy transformation and clean growth at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), joined Lanchester Group’s management team for a ground breaking ceremony.