Tesco to get power from straw

The £12m plant will generate five megawatts of electrical power – enough energy to run eight Tesco Superstores. All excess electricity will be sold back to the grid.

David North, community and government director at Tesco, said: “We’ve set ourselves stretching targets to reduce the carbon intensity of our business, and energy from renewable sources is a key part of our strategy.

We’ve identified five sites that would be suitable for further biomass technology, and are making big investments in wind turbines too.”

Tesco estimates that it will have recouped the £12m set-up cost within six years.