Demolition to start at Ludlow’s former AD site ahead of new biochar plant

Demolition of the former anaerobic digestion (AD) plant on Coder Road Business Park, Ludlow, is due to begin in early September 2025 as Shropshire Council prepares the site for a new energy and biochar facility.
Specialist contractor Cawarden has been appointed to carry out the work, which will focus on dismantling and removing the plant’s large process tanks.
The council says the operation will take around four to six weeks and will also involve breaking up the concrete bases beneath the tanks.
Once cleared, the site will be redeveloped into an Energy, Biochar and Carbon (EBAC) plant – a pyrolysis facility designed to convert plant matter into biochar, renewable electricity and heat.
The project follows on from the council’s successful joint venture near Welshpool in Powys, operated in partnership with Woodtek Engineering.
Rob Wilson, Shropshire Council’s cabinet member for transport and economic growth, said the project represented “a significant step forward.”
“While demolition may cause some additional noise, this will be kept to a minimum,” he said. “The creation of biochar is an innovative and sustainable way to reduce our net carbon emissions while also generating an income to support essential council services.”
The Ludlow facility already has planning permission, with equipment on order and an operator contract agreed. Investment has come via the Public Works Loan Board (PWLB), and the council expects surplus revenue from the plant to support key services.
According to the council, biochar production not only locks carbon into a stable form but also creates carbon credits and valuable by-products for use in industry.