Established in 1977, Mid Cork Pallets and Packaging Ltd (MCP) presented itself as the largest timber pallet manufacturing company in Ireland, supplying more than 2 million pallets to all major food, beverage, and pharma companies in Ireland and employing over 100 people. MCP also imported and distributed corrugated and paper packaging products, making it a leading supplier of packaging solutions to the Irish market. MCP operated from a 30,000 square meter manufacturing and distribution center in Clondrohid near Macroom, Co Cork, and a 10,000 square meter storage and distribution center near Dunboyne in Co. Meath.
MCP had a large requirement for process heat for kiln driving of pallets, to comply with ISPM requirements for heat treatment, and to increase its purchases of green timber instead of the more expensive kiln-dried timber. They had also built two new packaging warehouses at Clondrohid that required heating. MCP established Cork Green Energy Ltd to build a 1.2MWe biomass-powered Combined Heat and Power (CHP) system to supply sufficient heat to MCP and to export electricity onto the national grid under a REFIT 3 power purchase agreement.