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Summary Byproduct from the whisky-making process is going to keep the lights on as well.
The £50m Rothes project is the latest bioenergy venture from the Scotch whisky industry. It is believed to be the first to provide electricity for public use. The plant will take spent grains from 16 of Speysides distilleries—including Glenlivet, Chivas Regal, and Macallan—and burn them with woodchips to create electricity for the region.The 7.2-megawatt Rothes plant is expected to be up and running by 2013 and will provide as much electricity as two wind turbines which will be sufficient for 9,000 houses. Generating light through whiskey will save 46,000 tons of carbon dioxide compared to coal-generated electricity. Waste products from around 16 of the areas 50 distilleries will be used at the site.Environmentalists have expressed concern that some of the wood used in the process may not be locally sourced.
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