The World Biogas Expo, 29th - 30th March 2023 – NNFCC, the bioeconomy
consultants, launched their annual ‘Anaerobic Digestion Deployment in the UK
Report’ for 2023. As this is the celebratory 10th edition, the outlook has been
expanded to include new content and to provide a more holistic overview of developments
in the growing organics recycling sector.
Composting technology contributes valuable capacity for the handling of organic
waste alongside anaerobic digestion, so this year the report includes data on
treatment capacity from a new database of UK composting sites, as well as an
overview of the relevant drivers and regulations of relevance to both the AD
and composting sectors. As the biggest constraint hampering growth in the UK AD
industry at present is feedstock, given delays in the roll-out of separate food
waste collections across households and businesses in England and Wales, the
report also looks at regional distribution of existing organics treatment
capacity and the likely future focus for new capacity.
The launch of the Green Gas Support Scheme (GGSS) in November of 2021 has
brought a new impetus to the AD sector but in the absence of other schemes, with
delays in the supply chain and the requirement for GGSS applicants to go
through the tariff guarantee process before entering construction, only one
entirely new plant has actually commissioned in the past 12 months. However, the
rate of growth is expected to increase significantly in the coming year, as 12
plants are currently under construction – nine entirely new GGSS-supported
projects and three original RHI projects, still going through the final stages
of construction and full site commissioning.
NNFCC’s AD Deployment in the UK report is a valuable tool for investors,
developers and suppliers with an interest in the industry. It is available for
purchase from www.nnfcc.co.uk and purchasers
will receive a PDF copy of the report and a comprehensive database of all
operational and planned AD facilities in the UK, including detail on location,
type, status, commissioning date, gas output capacity and feedstock treatment
capacity, by type.
Lucy Hopwood, Business Development Director and Lead Consultant for
Bioenergy & Anaerobic Digestion at NNFCC says:
“As the biggest constraint in the sector at
present is feedstock availability, security and pricing, we felt it prudent to
enhance the report in these areas, so now include a broader view of the
organics recycling sector and more analysis on the spatial distribution of
feedstock demand. We hope the latest report and database will be even more valuable
to developers and investors seeking knowledge on local opportunities and
competition, to inform investment decisions and deliver continued deployment
across the sector.”
Alongside the UK AD Deployment Report, NNFCC is also launching a new AD
Deployment in the Republic of Ireland report and a new GGSS-ready greenhouse
gas (GHG) calculator to support new developments.