A new industry for remote and rural areas
Xanthella are working with ALIenergy to produce a plan for an ambitious project that has the potential to provide new biomanufacturing industry for remote and rural areas. Places such as the West Coast of Scotland and its islands would be ideal sites for the production of renewable electricity but their distance from users of electricity mean that these areas are severely grid constrained.
Growing algae to produce high value products might be a way of using more locally generated electricity thus removing some of the grid constraint and allowing such areas to realise their potential. By co-locating the algae production facilities near to other sources of nutrients and CO2 (such as distilleries), the input feedstock costs for algal production could be greatly reduced.
Examples of suitable products could include live algae for aquaculture hatcheries, Omega 3 supplements for salmon feed and enhanced cattle feeds – all of which could be used locally.
Xanthella and ALIenergy are forging a strong consortium of suppliers, partners and end users to pursue the project. If the project is successful in its bid for funding then the project could start as early as April 2016 with the creation of two pilot algal production plants at different sites in Argyll and the Highlands.
