Orthios to construct two combined food and power plants in Wales

Orthios, a UK sustainable energy company, is preparing to begin work on two combined food and power plants in the UK.

To be located at a former Anglesey Aluminium in Wales at Holyhead, Anglesey, the £1 billion (€1.3bn) Orthios Eco Park will process waste wood to produce 299MW of electricity, enough to power 300,000 homes.

The heat produced during power generation process will be used to farm king prawns and vegetables, and the project is expected to create 500 permanent and 1,200 construction jobs for the area before 2018.

Anglesey’s Member of Parliament Albert Owen told the BBC the Eco Park had the potential to be a “catalyst in giving the local economy a much-needed boost”.

"The company intends to liaise with businesses, training providers and schools in the area - the benefits of which will be seen in the local and regional economy as well as providing career opportunities," he said.

The Holyhead plant is a second eco park project Orthios is developing, with the other one to be built in Port Talbot, and the technology is also being screened to be shipped to China and developing countries.

Chinese investment group SinoFortone will contribute £2 billion – confirmed at the start of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s UK visit – for the Orthios projects.

SinoFortone’s CEO Peter Zhang called the concept “a ground changing model” that can have global benefits.

“We were impressed with the Orthios professional team and how much research and development they have invested in their unique combined food and power solution.

“With us and the Chinese state as their backers, we are confident we can maximise efficiencies and provide a production facility to deliver this solution around the world,” Zhang said.

The Holyhead facility is projected to come online in 2017, while the Port Talbot plant is expected to become operational in three years’ time.