Kemsley Industrial Cluster
The Kemsley Industrial Cluster is a compact combination of energy producers and consumers in Kemsley, near Sittingbourne in north Kent and covers a wide range of industrial processes, including power and heat generation, manufacturing, logistics, recycling and waste disposal.
As part of the UK Government’s drive towards net zero by 2050, Innovate UK has invested up to £6 million in the Local Industrial Decarbonisation Plans (LIDP) competition to provide support for industrial manufacturers to reduce emissions and avoid carbon leakage. We are excited to share that the Kemsley Industrial Cluster in Kent was successful in securing a portion of this funding, and we are already working together to explore opportunities to develop and deliver a joint carbon reduction strategy.
Heathcote Holdings - a group of companies that are leaders in organics, recycling, waste management, industry innovation, agriculture and land management.
Mace – a global expert in shaping the built environment, Mace has extensive experience in the energy sector and supports a number of other industrial decarbonisation programmes.
University of Kent – leading the consortium through the participative simulation modelling process and developing qualitative and quantitative models to help make informed decarbonisation investment decisions.
The Kemsley Industrial Cluster represents the single largest industrial cluster in Kent and Sussex. The industrial manufacturers (DS Smith and Knauf) rely on natural gas and electricity for energy. The power generators (MVV and enfinium) use waste materials to generate electricity, supplied to the national grid. The enfinium EfW facility uses black bag residual and C&I waste and provides heat in form of steam to DS Smith. The MVV biomass facility uses waste wood to generate renewable electricity. Recycled resources are used extensively, (paper and board), other processes use virgin materials (gypsum for board). Currently, consortium members enfinium and DS Smith collaborate on recycled resource management.
Under the LIDP funding, a Joint Carbon Reduction Strategy will be collaboratively developed by modelling current and future energy requirements and assessing feasible carbon reduction solutions as a cluster. We will deliver a comprehensive collective vision for industrial symbiosis and detail the challenges and opportunities of delivering that vision, which we intend to share with similar industrial clusters in the UK and overseas.
Collaboration and knowledge sharing is a key part of this project, and we are excited to speak with other industrial organisations, government bodies, business groups and energy providers to seek input, share learnings and identify opportunities as the project progresses. This LIDP study is an initial step to what we hope will be the successful reduction of carbon emissions in Kemsley, and a growing cluster of compatible organisations in the area who are committed to working together for this important shared goal.
If you would like to hear more about the project or have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to the project team.
The LIDP project team is made up of seven organisations, of which five are industrial organisations making up the Cluster:
Local Industrial Decarbonisation Project (LIDP)
About us
What we are
Funding
Collaboration
MVV Environment Ridham – provides sustainable and efficient solutions for waste-fired energy generation to waste disposal companies and local authorities.
Knauf UK & Ireland – one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of lightweight building products and systems.
enfinium – one of the UK’s leading energy from waste operators, using waste that would otherwise go to landfill to generate homegrown energy.
DS Smith Paper – a leading provider of sustainable packaging solutions, paper products and recycling services worldwide.
MVV Environment Ridham – provides sustainable and efficient solutions for waste-fired energy generation to waste disposal companies and
local authorities.
Knauf UK & I – one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of lightweight building products and systems.
Enfinium – one of the UK’s leading energy from waste operators, using waste that would otherwise go to landfill to generate homegrown energy.
DS Smith Paper – a leading provider of sustainable packaging solutions, paper products and recycling services worldwide.
Heathcote Holdings - a group of companies that are leaders in organics, recycling, waste management, industry innovation, agriculture and
land management.
Mace – a global expert in shaping the built environment, Mace has extensive experience in the energy sector and supports a number of other industrial decarbonisation programmes.
University of Kent – leading the consortium through the participative simulation modelling process and developing qualitative and quantitative models to help make informed decarbonisation investment decisions.
Contact our members
Industrial Symbiosis
Industrial Symbiosis is the process by which a network of diverse organisations collaborates to achieve resource efficiency and long-term sustainability. By exchanging materials, waste, energy, water, and other resources, these organisations form mutually beneficial relationships that enhance both environmental and economic performance. This process creates a circular economy, where waste from one organisation becomes a valuable input for another. This collaboration helps to reduce environmental impact and fosters long-term cultural change within industries. By sharing resources and knowledge, organisations can optimise processes, reduce waste and emissions, and lower costs. The expectation is that organisations within an industrial symbiosis will gain an economic and environmental advantage by:
Increased resource efficiency by using waste streams as inputs for other processes
Reduced emissions through optimised energy use and material recycling
Reduced demand for raw materials, lowering environmental depletion
Decreased waste management and disposal costs
Enhanced innovation through collaboration and shared knowledge
The Kemsley Industrial Cluster illustrates these benefits in action. For instance, enfinium's excess steam, instead of being wasted, is supplied to DS Smith, reducing their energy consumption and operational costs. This also avoids the need for DS Smith to produce part of their own steam, thereby lowering their reliance on fossil fuels and reducing associated emissions. Similarly, the waste exchanges between Countrystyle and other members of the cluster demonstrates how waste materials from one company can become valuable resources for another, reducing landfill disposal and conserving raw materials.
News
Summary of Findings
The LIDP project explored various options and scenarios to decarbonise the Kemsley Cluster, focusing on:
Decarbonisation technology feasibility studies
Simulation modelling of energy balance and emissions
Socio-economic, policy and regulatory impact assessment
Roadmap, business case and investment planning
Stakeholder engagement throughout the process
Technology
The technologies assessed as viable are:
Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS)
Hydrogen through electrolysis
Increased electrification and a private wire
Combined Heat and Power
Our feasibility studies found that using CCUS, with biogenic carbon sources, can transform the Cluster from a carbon emitter, to a net zero carbon remover. There is capacity for 1 million tonnes of carbon to be captured – twice the current output of fossil emissions. Modelling also found that additional steam supply from MVV to DS Smith has the capacity to reduce the cluster’s carbon emissions by at least 10%.
Delivery
From our socioeconomic and business case workstreams, we found:
Implementing decarbonisation technologies will retain 1,100 jobs, as well as create an additional 400 jobs
There is potential for £108M gross value add (GVA) to the Cluster, however the implementation will require around £550M capital investment
For more detail on our work, findings and recommendations, read our project report
Collaboration
Collaboration and knowledge sharing is a key part of this project, and we are excited to speak with other industrial organisations, government bodies, business groups and energy providers to seek input, share learnings and identify opportunities as the project progresses. This LIDP study is an initial step to what we hope will be the successful reduction of carbon emissions in Kemsley, and a growing cluster of compatible organisations in the area who are committed to working together for this important shared goal. We plan on sharing our progress and findings with stakeholders as the project
evolves in 2024.
Seven-strong consortium to drive low carbon industrial initiative
This opportunity to drive positive environmental change is co-funded by Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, and follows the consortium’s successful application for a portion of a £6million fund aimed at supporting the UK Government’s drive towards net zero through investment into Local Industrial Decarbonisation Plans (LIDP).
Located in Kemsley, North Kent, the cluster – comprising of MVV Environment Ridham, enfinium, Knauf UK & Ireland, DS Smith Paper and Heathcote Holdings – covers a wide range of industrial processes, including power and heat generation, manufacturing, logistics, recycling and waste disposal.
For nearly 30 years, the cluster has operated in partnership to explore opportunities to share resources, materials, waste and by-products for mutual benefit. This, combined with its location on The Swale, and proximity to nearby logistics businesses, energy producers and energy users, make it ideal for decarbonisation and create regional and national impact, in line with government objectives.
This funding builds on the work already undertaken by the cluster and University of Kent in assessing the initial collective demand and supply for energy and resources in the area, acknowledging the limited energy, heat and resource sharing programmes to date. By partnering with Mace and University of Kent, the cluster will expand on this to consider its application in the context of industrial decarbonisation.
Together, the partners will use the LIDP funding to develop a joint carbon reduction strategy, based on modelling of current and future energy requirements, and assessing potential carbon reduction solutions across the cluster. The strategy, due to be published by the end of 2024, will provide a collective vision for change, acknowledging the challenges as well as the opportunities, with a commitment to sharing findings with similar industrial clusters in the UK and overseas. As well as informing the future of the cluster, the findings will also feed into Innovate UK and the government’s understanding of how they can assess and support these initiatives in the most effective way.
The industrial partners will bring decades of ‘real life’ experience to the challenges that the strategy seeks to overcome, working with the University of Kent and Mace to develop viable options for decarbonisation in the area. Building on this, the University of Kent will provide valuable modelling and simulation insight, while Mace will be responsible for the overall project management and oversee the development of the long-tern roadmap and business case, investment planning, stakeholder engagement and knowledge transfer.
Rachel O’Donnell, Director for Resilience at Mace said:
“The LIDP for the Kemsley Industrial Cluster will lay the foundations for a long-term carbon reduction vision, not only at this site but at other clusters across the UK and Europe. A commitment among all partners to pursue data-backed best practice and then share the findings in the interest of environmental betterment underpins our approach and makes for an exciting prospect in and beyond north Kent.
Kathy Kotiadis, Professor of Operational Research at the University of Kent, said:
“We pride ourselves on our collaborative and interdisciplinary research and are excited to be working with the Kemsley Consortium to create positive change. Having guided the consortium’s successful funding application, we now look forward to leading them through the participative simulation modelling process and developing qualitative and quantitative models to help make informed decarbonisation investment decisions.”
Heathcote Holdings - a group of companies that are leaders in organics, recycling, waste management, industry innovation, agriculture and land management.
Mace – a global expert in shaping the built environment, Mace has extensive experience in the energy sector and supports a number of other industrial decarbonisation programmes.
University of Kent – leading the consortium through the participative simulation modelling process and developing qualitative and quantitative models to help make informed decarbonisation investment decisions.
The Kemsley Industrial Cluster represents the single largest industrial cluster in Kent and Sussex. The industrial manufacturers (DS Smith and Knauf) rely on natural gas and electricity for energy. The power generators (MVV and enfinium) use waste materials to generate electricity, supplied to the national grid. The enfinium EfW facility uses black bag residual and C&I waste and provides heat in form of steam to DS Smith. The MVV biomass facility uses waste wood to generate renewable electricity. Recycled resources are used extensively, (paper and board), other processes use virgin materials (gypsum for board). Currently, consortium members enfinium and DS Smith collaborate on recycled resource management.
Under the LIDP funding, a Joint Carbon Reduction Strategy will be collaboratively developed by modelling current and future energy requirements and assessing feasible carbon reduction solutions as a cluster. We will deliver a comprehensive collective vision for industrial symbiosis and detail the challenges and opportunities of delivering that vision, which we intend to share with similar industrial clusters in the UK and overseas.
Collaboration and knowledge sharing is a key part of this project, and we are excited to speak with other industrial organisations, government bodies, business groups and energy providers to seek input, share learnings and identify opportunities as the project progresses. This LIDP study is an initial step to what we hope will be the successful reduction of carbon emissions in Kemsley, and a growing cluster of compatible organisations in the area who are committed to working together for this important shared goal. We plan on sharing our progress and findings with stakeholders as the project evolves in 2024.
If you would like to hear more about the project or have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to the project team.
The LIDP project team is made up of seven organisations, of which five are industrial organisations making up the Cluster:
Local Industrial Decarbonisation Project (LIDP)
A consortium consisting of MVV Environment Ridham, enfinium, Knauf UK & Ireland, DS Smith Paper, Heathcote Holdings, Mace and the University of Kent, has announced the development of a decarbonisation strategy for an industrial cluster at Kemsley in Kent.
What we are
Funding
Collaboration
MVV Environment Ridham – provides sustainable and efficient solutions for waste-fired energy generation to waste disposal companies and local authorities.
Knauf UK & Ireland – one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of lightweight building products and systems.
enfinium – one of the UK’s leading energy from waste operators, using waste that would otherwise go to landfill to generate homegrown energy.
DS Smith Paper – a leading provider of sustainable packaging solutions, paper products and recycling services worldwide.
MVV Environment Ridham – provides sustainable and efficient solutions for waste-fired energy generation to waste disposal companies and
local authorities.
Knauf UK & I – one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of lightweight building products and systems.
Enfinium – one of the UK’s leading energy from waste operators, using waste that would otherwise go to landfill to generate homegrown energy.
DS Smith Paper – a leading provider of sustainable packaging solutions, paper products and recycling services worldwide.
Heathcote Holdings - a group of companies that are leaders in organics, recycling, waste management, industry innovation, agriculture and
land management.
Mace – a global expert in shaping the built environment, Mace has extensive experience in the energy sector and supports a number of other industrial decarbonisation programmes.
University of Kent – leading the consortium through the participative simulation modelling process and developing qualitative and quantitative models to help make informed decarbonisation investment decisions.
Contact our members
Industrial Symbiosis
Industrial Symbiosis is the process by which a network of diverse organisations collaborates to achieve resource efficiency and long-term sustainability. By exchanging materials, waste, energy, water, and other resources, these organisations form mutually beneficial relationships that enhance both environmental and economic performance. This process creates a circular economy, where waste from one organisation becomes a valuable input for another. This collaboration helps to reduce environmental impact and fosters long-term cultural change within industries. By sharing resources and knowledge, organisations can optimise processes, reduce waste and emissions, and lower costs. The expectation is that organisations within an industrial symbiosis will gain an economic and environmental advantage by:
- Increased resource efficiency by using waste streams as inputs for other processes
- Reduced emissions through optimised energy use and material recycling
- Reduced demand for raw materials, lowering environmental depletion
- Decreased waste management and disposal costs
- Enhanced innovation through collaboration and shared knowledge
The Kemsley Industrial Cluster illustrates these benefits in action. For instance, enfinium's excess steam, instead of being wasted, is supplied to DS Smith, reducing their energy consumption and operational costs. This also avoids the need for DS Smith to produce part of their own steam, thereby lowering their reliance on fossil fuels and reducing associated emissions. Similarly, the waste exchanges between Countrystyle and other members of the cluster demonstrates how waste materials from one company can become valuable resources for another, reducing landfill disposal and conserving raw materials.
Seven-strong consortium to drive low carbon industrial initiative
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Kemsley Cluster
8th November 2024
8th November 2024