FDBusiness.com

Irish agri-tech business BHSL has agreed €13 million in sales of its pioneering manure-to-energy technology which is aimed at transforming the environmental impact of the global poultry industry. The 8 new BHSL Energy Centre units are being sold to large UK poultry farms and will all be installed by March 2017.

The patented technology will be shipped from BHSL’s plant in Ballagh, County Limerick, and represents the first fruits of an expansion strategy announced by the company’s chairman Denis Brosnan upon his appointment in October.

BHSL’s technology converts poultry manure into energy, which is then used to provide heating for future batches of chicks. BHSL’s system is the only one available that meets both US and EU environmental regulations, and allows farmers to use manure for power and heat rather than the traditional practice of transporting and spreading it on land as a fertiliser which is increasingly restricted by law due to pollution concerns.

This week BHSL also celebrated a world industry first, with technology it has installed in Maryland in the US and Norfolk in the UK producing electricity for the first time. The ability to generate electricity in addition to heat allows farmers use the power generated for other purposes on farm when there is less demand for heat in the poultry houses. Combined Heat and Power (CHP) solutions which generate electricity will also help farmers play their part in meeting the EU’s 2020 renewable energy targets

BHSL estimates that farms may be able to meet all their energy needs by using their manure as a fuel, thereby reducing costs and improving the sustainability of intensive poultry production.

BHSL has also expanded its sales team, adding 5 new employees to focus on opportunities in Poland, German and the Netherlands, in addition to existing sales and marketing initiatives in the US and UK.

BHSL recently commenced a process to raise at least €7 million in new equity to support its global expansion and open offices in the US, continental Europe and the Middle East. It expects to complete this process by the end of February.

BHSL Managing Director Declan O’Connor comments: “We are very pleased to have agreed sales of 8 new units in recent months, as we implement our commercialisation strategy, and poultry farmers become more aware of the cost savings and environmental regulatory benefits of using our technology. We are preparing for a busy period in the months ahead, with the aim to make sales in excess of €40m in the company’s next financial year.”

BHSL’s founder and Director of Research & Development Jack O’Connor says: “It was always the desire to generate electricity in addition to heat, and it is an exciting milestone to have now achieved this at sites in both the UK and US. Poultry farms have big electricity bills and there is enough manure created to provide both heat and electricity. In fact by generating electricity all the manure on a site can be utilised, completely removing the need to land spread manure which is increasingly considered a pollutant and restricted by law.”

Farmers who use BHSL’s system can benefit from:

• Reduced environmental impact: A significant reduction in the environmental impact thereby ensuring compliance with an increasingly strict regulatory environment, both in the US and EU
• Lower energy costs: A potential 95% reduction in energy costs through using heat from the manure as a source for heating a new batch of chicks, who must be started at a temperature of 32 degrees celsius/90 degrees Fahrenheit
• Improved animal welfare: Improved biosecurity and animal welfare, with reduced risk of diseases
• Improved performance: Faster growth – chicks reaching target weight 3 days quicker
• Additional revenue: Revenue earned from the sale of excess electricity and a (non-polluting) fertiliser by-product.