Port of Tyne – MHEA Site Visit May 2025

On Tuesday 13th May, members of the MHEA were privileged to take part in a guided tour of the Biomass Fuel Handling Facility at the Port of Tyne, located along the scenic Northumberland coast.

The visit was hosted by Davey Wharrier, Head of Fuel Handling at Lynemouth Power Ltd (LPL), and supported by Chris Cotton (Operations Director) and Billy Readle (Site Manager) from Hargreaves Industrial Services Ltd.

Attendees were granted exclusive access to this highly engineered facility, which exemplifies both cutting-edge industrial innovation and operational excellence.

This impressive infrastructure project has not only achieved the highest standards of safety but also delivers significant commercial benefits, supporting the UK’s power generation capabilities at a time when the global focus on climate change and net-zero targets is more critical than ever.

The conversion of Lynemouth Power Station from coal to biomass stands as one of the most significant engineering achievements in recent UK history. Today, it serves as a leading example of how a biomass power station and its subsidiary locations should be designed for explosive atmospheres and materials handling. It also leads the way in maintaining to the highest standards to prevent a catastrophic event from happening.

Lynemouth Power Station is the forefront in sustainable energy generation, playing a vital role in the country’s transition to cleaner, low-carbon power.

Owned by LPL and operated by Hargreaves Industrial Services Ltd, the purpose-built fuel handling facilities at the Port of Tyne and the Lynemouth site store approximately 75,000 and 50,000 metric tons of biomass wood pellets respectively.

The handling system is divided into two main operations: Ship Unloading and Rail Loading. Three slip-formed concrete silos, each with a 25,000-tonne capacity, provide a critical buffer between these operations.

The Ship Unloading system incorporates material screening, ferrous metal extraction, automated sampling, and a five-way route selection. The Rail Loading system features advanced silo-emptying technology, belt and train weighing, and rapid loading equipment capable of filling an entire train—up to 1,500 tonnes of biomass—in just 30 minutes, while the train moves continuously at 0.5 mph through the facility.

Wood pellets are mechanically unloaded into the silos and transferred via conveyors to be transported by rail to Lynemouth Power Station. Currently, the Port of Tyne handles 100% of LPL’s biomass feedstock—a clear indication of the confidence placed in its capabilities and infrastructure.