Knauf plots Deeside expansion
Working with WSP, the insulation business intends to build a 160,000 sq ft rock mineral wool manufacturing facility at Shotton.
A, Environmental Impact Assessment scoping opinion request has now been submitted to Flintshire Council for the 30-acre development, within the Tata Steel complex at Deeside Industrial Park – the plot sits immediately east of the steelworks.
As described by WSP, the site is brownfield, with the majority of it now covered in grass interspersed with pockets of dense vegetation. There are some disused buildings at the western end, and a private road crossing the plot north to south.
The exact parameters have not been confirmed at this stage, but WSP said the expected floorspace of the development would be 161,400 sq ft.
Knauf said that the proposed scheme will supply more than 100,000 tonnes of insulation per year, “significantly contributing” to the growing demand for new and improved insulation solutions as UK construction tries to head towards net-zero.
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In addition, the project would provide 143 direct jobs in the area as well as over 400 jobs indirectly in the wider UK supply chain. Knauf said the Shotton site is ideally placed for access to transport and close to other industrial works, not least its own insulation plant in Queensferry, a mile and a half away.
Also within the region, Knauf operates its UK HQ from St Helens.
The site will manufacture rock mineral wool products, processing approximately 120,000 tonnes of raw materials – basalt, slag and recycled rock mineral wool (RMW) – annually. It will accept recycled RMW waste from offcuts and dust returned from product users, with the intention to minimise the use of raw materials where possible.
Development proposed includes a main process building, three stack pipes of up to 70m each in height, an on-site substation and supporting infrastructure. Construction would be expected to take 18 months, with access for this phase and the completed operation coming via Tata’s existing road network.
Documents relating to the project can be viewed on Flintshire Council’s planning portal with the reference SCO/000592/25.
