Long-established Fife factory gets go-ahead for new heat and power plant

Silberline Limited say the new addition will not only reduce energy consumption but will also cut operating costs and improve energy efficiency at its base in Leven’s Banbeath Road.

Planning permission to install the CHP unit was applied for last year, and Fife Council has now rubber-stamped consent after no objections were received during the planning process.

Work is expected to begin on site in a matter of weeks and it will see an existing single-storey building on the premises demolished as a result.

The CHP unit itself will be within a 12-metre long, three-metre wide steel container, while the container and associated equipment would take the overall height of the development to almost seven metres.

Silberline has operated from the site since 1974, manufacturing aluminium effect pigments for use across various industries ranging from automotive paints and printing inks to plastics, protective coatings and consumer packaged goods.

One of the conditions of consent is the need for the company to produce a noise impact assessment in relation to the development.

That will outline the level of noise emissions, include details of background existing and predicted noise levels at the boundary of Lawrence Drive, and highlight what measures will be taken to mitigate any noise.

The unit will initially be fuelled by natural gas but it is hoped that the site will eventually be connected to the proposed Fife H100 hydrogen network.

Thank you for reading this article on our free-to-read website. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

Please consider purchasing a subscription to our print newspaper to help fund our trusted, fact-checked journalism.

https://www.localsubsplus.co.uk/nord/dm/FFP/V