Telford construction firm lays foundations with £3.2m investment in a new energy plant

The Telford-based firm created the facility about six months ago as part of its commitment to lowering emissions further.

The plant uses the lowest grade of waste wood available and is set to help the company reduce its emissions by 65% and save 2,200 tons of CO2 in the first 12 months.

Besblock manufactures concrete blocks for the construction industry and has increasingly become synonymous with efforts to enable the sector to reduce its carbon footprint via its range of products.

It has previously been highly commended in the Net Zero category at the Midlands Constructing Excellence awards for its work on Project 80 – a housing development in Birmingham that will be among the first to meet the Future Homes Standard.

The company, which has been celebrating 50 years in business, works with some of the UK’s leading house builders and construction companies.

It has expanded considerably recently with extensive investment in its facilities and processes.

Sales director Martin Fulwell said: “We have grown at a fast pace and, while we are pleased with the path we’re on, we haven’t lost sight of keeping our carbon footprint as low as possible along the way.

“We have invested millions into the business to reduce our environmental impact and have a dedicated sustainable design team that is helping to prove that traditional construction can still be green.

“We are delighted with the performance of the plant so far. We are predicting a 65% reduction in CO2 emissions where the biomass plant has replaced natural gas as the primary fuel. Our fuel is classified as C Grade waste wood which is the lowest grade of waste wood available.

“There are lots of companies in Telford that need to dispose of their wood waste and through our plant, we are creating a local chain to ensure its re-use effectively in the production of energy.”

Besblock is planning to hold an event this year in conjunction with Telford & Wrekin Council to officially open the plant.

As part of its efforts to reduce its impact on the environment, Besblock also uses groundbreaking technology from fuel experts SulNOx Group Plc, which increases fuel efficiency while reducing harmful emissions including CO2.

Founded in June 1972, and owned by Andrew Huxley, Besblock began producing concrete building blocks at Halesfield in Telford, which at the time was a fledgling new town.

The company became a key supply chain partner of the Telford Development Corporation shortly after it was founded. In the decades that followed, Besblock established a wide customer base supplying leading house builders, construction companies, groundworks and builder’s merchants across the country.

The firm's blocks have gone on to build everything from hospitals to houses, sporting venues to schools. It is now one of the nation’s market leaders in construction with more than 50 employees from the local area.