Case study

Longcliffe Quarries

Longcliffe were successful in applying for GEP grant funding, which enabled them to purchase, install and commission equipment which resulted in significant energy and cost savings as well as improved capacity and system control capabilities. 

Over the last 90 years Longcliffe Quarries (Longcliffe) have established their name in the UK limestone industry, becoming one of the finest and largest suppliers of calcium carbonate powders and aggregates. The company employs 170 people and they supply over 1 million tonnes of high-purity calcium carbonate products every year from their quarries in Derbyshire. Longcliffe’s products include calcium carbonate, powders and granules, aggregates, as well as agricultural and speciality limes.

The company’s Brassington Moor Quarry was established in 1927 and remains an integral part of the operations at Longcliffe. Following an on-site energy assessment undertaken by an external consultancy in 2020, an opportunity was highlighted to apply the use of the latest inverter drives on specific air distribution fans on one of Longcliffe’s onsite Atritor mills, which grinds crushed quarried stone into fine aggregate powders.

To support the timely delivery of this investment Longcliffe were successful in applying for GEP grant funding of £20,000, which enabled them to purchase, install and commission the inverter drives with resulting significant energy and cost savings, as well as improved capacity and system control capabilities. The project was completed in April 2023.

Following the successful delivery of the inverter drives project, Ian McDonald, a director at Longcliffe, commented “The grant funding support from GEP enabled the project to secure enough internal financial support for it to be actioned”.

The project was focussed on both growth in volume and the reduction in energy to produce the material for sale, with Ian reporting that in the first year they “achieved energy savings of over 90% of the original estimated savings”. These totalled 160,000 kWh, equating to over 33,000 kgCO2e. Such annual savings are comparable to 120,000 miles in a car, or the CO2 absorbed by over 1,500 trees.

Following their successful interventions to date, Longcliffe are continually looking at efficiencies on site, and have an ambitious wider strategy to achieve net zero carbon by 2030. Following on from their GEP supported project, the company will be installing a new re-designed Air Swept Mill, which reduces the energy required to produce their cementitious replacement powders. The company are now looking for solutions and to replace their current diesel engines.