The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
BHSL in €3m US energy project
WEST Limerick agri-tech business BHSL has agreed a $3m deal to run a pilot project with the State of Maryland to trial its pioneering manure-to-energy technology which is aimed at transforming the environmental impact of the global poultry industry.
The patented BHSL Energy Centre to be used in the project was shipped from BHSL’s plant at Ballagh – just over the Kerry Limerick border near Abbeyfeale – last week and will be fully operational by October.
The State of Maryland has provided $1m funding to support the pilot project, with the balance of the $3m investment funded by BHSL.
BHSL’s technology converts poultry manure into energy, which is then used to either provide heating for future batches of chicks, or sold back into the electricity grid.
The BHSL’s system is the only one available that meets both US and EU environmental regulations, and has over 110,000 operational hours on UK farms.
“The potential size of the US market opportunity for BHSL is conservatively estimated at over $500m. In the Chesapeake Bay region alone over 1bn chickens are reared each year and state governments are increasingly aware of the environmental challenges the poultry manure by-product poses for the Bay and the water sources that flow into it,” said BHSL Chief Executive Declan O’Connor.
“Our unique solution can both reduce costs and increase revenue for the farmers while solving the environmental challenge they face. We are very excited about the potential to grow our sales in the US following the State of Maryland demonstration,” Mr O’Connor said.
With 11,000 commercial poultry farms in the US producing 7.5bn chickens each year, BHSL is targeting the US as a key export market.
BHSL’s system is already fully operational on two UK farms with more installations anticipated in 2016. It also plans expanding its business in Europe, New Zealand and Saudi Arabia.