Plans to use solar panels to help power distillery

William Grant and Sons is seeking to construct a significant solar power development to provide electricity to the Tullamore DEW Distillery.

The company has recently submitted a planning application seeking permission for approximately 4,100 photovoltaic panels on ground-mounted frames within a site area of 3.90 hectares along with a transformer station at its Tullamore Distillery Campus at Ballard and Clonminch.

The company said the objective of the proposed development is to enhance the sustainability of the distillery by reducing its dependence on expensive and carbon-generated fossil fuel-derived energy imported from the national grid.

The power generated by the proposed development would result in an annual reduction of 750 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

It said the total annual power output would be some 2.5GWhr.

William Grant and Sons now employs over 100 people at the distillery site in Tullamore and volumes have increased significantly since it established operations in the town in 2014.

The company said the existing distillery volumes nearing some 13 million LAA (litres of absolute alcohol) would lead to further expansion plans being considered towards the end of this decade.

It also said that bottling volumes are predicted to reach two million cases in 2025.

It added that it currently has eleven warehouses in operational use with plans for a further two to be completed by 2026.