Aggregate Industries venture into East Anglia
Company opens new 800,000-tonne capacity wharf site at Peel Ports Great Yarmouth
AGGREGATE Industries have announced their first venture into East Anglia with the opening of a new, 800,000 tonnes per annum capacity wharf at Peel Ports Great Yarmouth.
Positioned 24 miles from Norwich, the three-acre site will allow Aggregate Industries to transport large volumes of aggregates from remote origins in the north-west of Scotland where the company’s vast Glensanda coastal super quarry is located.
With burgeoning energy and infrastructure plans under way within East Anglia, unprecedented demand volumes for crushed granite have been forecast. Alongside utilities reinforcements and highways upgrades, major contracts such as Sizewell C nuclear power station, the East Anglia Array, and the Norwich to Tilbury Great Grid Upgrade will require a reliable and hefty supply chain of construction materials. But with only one stockist operating in the local market historically, supply pressure has been a notable risk for this key strategic region.
Now, with the launch of this new site, a sure and steady supply of granite is assured. The crushed rock imported to Great Yarmouth will support a variety of projects in the local area.
Lee Sleight, managing director of Aggregate Industries’ Aggregates & Overseas division, commented: ‘Our expansion into Great Yarmouth is a fresh market opportunity for Aggregate Industries, aligning with our vision to support and sustain communities and local infrastructure projects with a steady and reliable supply of high-quality materials.
‘The new site benefits strategically from the increased demand driven by vital major projects across the South East and sets us up to play a pivotal role in bolstering the capabilities of the region. Underlining all of this is the use of shipping as a more environmentally responsible way to transport thousands of tonnes of Scottish granite across the country.’
Will Harrison, South East area manager for Aggregate Industries, added: ‘This is an exciting opportunity for us and we’re looking forward to forging relationships with local authorities and businesses. Armed with the impressive resources of Glensanda, not only can we immediately address coarse material shortages in the local market, but we can also supply a considerable volume thanks to the capabilities of our 55,000-tonne cargo ship.’
The ship is the Yeoman Bridge, a self-discharging bulk carrier which has already set local records and sparked considerable local excitement for being the largest vessel to ever dock at Great Yarmouth. With a surface area the size of a football pitch, each shipment arriving into port via the North Sea reduces CO2 emissions by 165 tonnes compared with what would otherwise be emitted by 2,894 HGVs travelling approximately 1,000 miles for every round trip (figures based on the ship’s full capacity of 55,000 tonnes).
