Work has begun on a major new £30m processing facility and cold-store upgrade for Denholm Seafoods in Peterhead, on Scotland’s east coast.
The investment – reportedly one of the largest ever undertaken by a wild-caught fish processing company in Scotland – will boost Denholm’s cold storage capacity to 19,000 tonnes and includes a new 12,000m² cold store.
Richard Duthie, managing director of Denholm Seafoods, said the new facility would benefit Scotland’s important pelagic sector. “With soaring energy costs and the need to increase efficiency, product quality and automation, this project will ensure we remain competitive in a global marketplace and enable us to develop markets in key areas such as the Far East,” he said.
As well as the cold-store upgrade, plans include a new automated turnkey processing system designed by Skaginn 3X, slated to complete by summer next year and bring significant energy and packaging cost savings.
A new low pressure pump system to offload mackerel, herring and blue whiting will help preserve fish quality as will a new non-pressure plate freezing system.
Supported by £2.8m of funding under Defra’s £100m UK Seafood fund and £1.2m from the Scottish government through the Marine Fund Scotland, Denholm estimates that the upgrade will deliver energy savings of around 30 to 40 per cent.
