A PORT has broken a record for its largest wood pellet delivery.
The Port of Tyne has overseen the arrival of 62,000 tonnes of the fuel source.
The pellets, brought to the region on the bulk cargo vessel St Dimitrios, will be unloaded over five days before being delivered to Drax power station, near Selby, North Yorkshire.
The 229-metre St Dimitrios sailed more than 40 days from Canada with the cargo, which is replacing coal as a fuel in power stations to provide electricity for the National Grid.
Steven Harrison, Port of Tyne chief operating officer, said: “The port has been pioneering handling of this type of cargo since 2010.
“Our skilled operation enables a cargo of this size to be discharged in only five days and stored in a purposely designed on-site storage facility.
“Our rail terminal then takes the pellets directly to the power station eliminating road miles and increasing efficiency.”
Mr Harrison added the port has handled almost seven million tonnes of environmentally-sustainable wood pellets since 2010.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here