Irish Distillers has today announced that it will invest €50 million in Midleton Distillery over the next four years to deliver a carbon neutral operation by the end of 2026.
This is the largest investment made by an Irish distillery to date in pursuit of this ambition, putting Midleton Distillery on track to become Ireland’s first and largest carbon neutral distillery.
The ambitious plan to eliminate scope 1 and scope 2 carbon emissions by the end of 2026 will involve the execution of a roadmap comprising several ground-breaking projects which will see Midleton Distillery entirely phase out the use of fossil fuels to power its operation.
The carbon neutral roadmap for Midleton Distillery will involve the roll out of several projects aimed firstly at reducing overall energy use by improving on-site energy generation efficiency and recycling waste heat in the distillation process. In time, the distillery’s remaining energy requirements will be fulfilled by generating power from renewable sources.
The first three phases of the roadmap alone are expected to reduce emissions by up to 70%.
Leo Clancy, Enterprise Ireland CEO, said:
“Supporting Irish companies to reduce their carbon footprint is a key strategic priority for Enterprise Ireland. Enterprise Ireland is proud to partner with Irish Distillers to support the roll out of an ambitious roadmap which will see Midleton Distillery become the first and largest carbon neutral distillery in Ireland by 2026. Distilling is an energy intensive process and Irish Distillers is committed to significantly reducing emissions and making a positive environmental impact across all areas of their business. Their plans to leverage break-through emissions reducing technologies will in turn provide a blueprint for the industry and other distilleries in Ireland.”
