Ground breaks on UK AD plant

Building work has started at a site in Suffolk, the UK where BioCore Environmental is developing an anaerobic digestion (AD) plant.

The plant will use locally produced energy crops to generate around 2,000m3/hour of raw biogas which, following an upgrading process consisting of CO¬2 and trace contaminant gases removal, will be converted into 1,100Nm3/hour of biomethane. This is the equivalent to 12MW per hour of renewable energy and will be delivered to the natural gas grid to benefit 7,000 local homes.

The AD plant has the potential to save 21,000 tonnes a year of carbon emissions.

BioCore, through its partner Eastern Counties Finance, awarded the EPC contract to F.L.I. Energy. Under the contract F.L.I. is responsible for the design, construction and commissioning of the plant. It also has a five-year maintenance and process analysis support contract.

The contract scope includes detailed civil and process design, ground works, site secondary containment bunding, drainage, silage clamp, digestate storage, AD plant technology, 500kWe CHP, biogas upgrading, propane additional and biomethane network entry.

'Injecting biomethane produced through anaerobic digestion into the gas grid has an array of benefits. It is one of the most efficient uses of biogas and reduces our reliance on imported fossil gas, thus contributing to meeting the UK's renewable energy and climate change targets while improving our energy security,' says F.L.I Energy's MD Declan McGrath. 'Biomethane from AD could potentially deliver 10% of the UK's domestic gas demand.'