A major quarry in the United Kingdom has scored big in with a multi-million dollar boost for the innovations to make their processes more environmentally friendly.
One of Northern Ireland’s biggest quarry companies FP McCann has been rewarded with a multi-million dollar grant for innovation.
FP McCann received £3.39 million ($6.32 million) after making efficiency improvements in crushing and concrete manufacturing processes.
The grant was part of a £24.3 ($45.4 million AUD) grant program from an initiative across the United Kingdom to help businesses reduce their carbon footprint in the coming years.
To be able to access the grant money, FP McCann had to show it was avoiding using high amounts of energy and reducing its fossil fuel by using innovative low-carbon technologies.
FP McCann’s success comes as the Australian quarry sector faces a similar problem of trying to reduce its emissions while maintain its output.
The company has implemented improvements to its crushing and concrete manufacturing process with new technology at its Craigall Quarry in Kilrea.
Energy Efficiency Minister Martin Callahan said innovations like FP McCann’s would help bolster efforts in the UK’s plan to cut further emissions, which had already been cut by 48 per cent, further in the next five years.
“To keep up this progress and achieve our green goals, we’ve got to transform our industrial sectors, as some of the industries most critical to our economy are also those with the highest emissions,” Callahan said.
“We’re backing them with government funding to use the latest technologies to cut their emissions and their reliance on fossil fuels – helping to future-proof these industries as we grow our green economy.
“This will not only cut their energy costs but also boost their competitiveness on the world stage, helping them thrive and protecting the thousands of jobs they offer across the country.”
The grant news continues FP McCann’s push to continue its business alongside helping renew the environment and communities it works in as it continues regeneration projects including its multi-million dollar project in Portrush in North Ireland.