New UK biogas plant almost ready for phase two

A new £8 million (€9.4 million) anaerobic digestion facility in County Durham, UK is near completion as it reaches the end of its first phase.

As the region’s first commercial food waste facility by Emerald Biogas (EB) nears completion, it is now planning the second phase after securing a number of feedstock contracts for food waste. EB will also explore the potential of biogas injection technology and a vehicle fuel station.

The biogas plant at Newton Aycliffe Industrial Estate will, at full capacity, process 50,000 tonnes of food waste per year and generate 1.56MW of electricity, enough to power 2,000 homes.

‘Despite the difficult winter and the associated problems it brought, we are confident that waste processing and energy production will begin in June,’ says EB director Adam Warren. ‘We can look forward to creating renewable energy for neighbouring industrial companies and producing fertiliser from the digestate for use by the local agricultural community.”

Phase two of the biogas plant will, EB says, double the capacity at the facility.