York, 30th April 2019: Today we have published the sixth edition of our
annual ‘Anaerobic Digestion Deployment in the UK’ report. The publication
provides a detailed breakdown of the UK AD sector on both a national and
regional basis, using primary data to offer an accurate reflection of industry
output capacities and feedstock consumption.
AD deployment in the UK has slowed significantly over the past year
compared to previous years. The number of operational AD plants outside the
sewage treatment sector has now risen to 486, an increase of just 13 on April
2018. Over the same period, the number of projects undergoing development has
increased from 326 to 343.
Lucy Hopwood, Lead Consultant for Bioenergy at NNFCC says:
“It’s clearly been a year of change, but the latest deployment figures don’t reflect the level of activity we’ve seen in recent months.
The very modest growth of operational facilities is a result of the policy hiatus surrounding both the FIT and more notably, the RHI in early 2018. As anticipated policy announcements were delayed, developments stalled and only started to move again once the amended regulations were implemented and tariffs were confirmed.
Although growth has been somewhat slower than expected over the past year, the reinstatement of RHI tariffs and the introduction of RHI tariff guarantees for both biomethane injection and large-scale biogas combustion has generated a flurry of recent activity. The number of applications for tariff guarantees and FIT pre-accreditations suggests things could pick-up again over coming months.
With 96 BtG projects now operational, including 12 in the water industry, we’re expecting to pass the 100 mark later this year - a notable figure and something the industry should be proud of considering the first edition of this publication reported just five operational BtG facilities.”
For more information:
Where to access the report
The report is available to buy on
the NNFCC website, either outright or as part of
a business support package. For further information please
contact Lucy Hopwood, the report author at l.hopwood@nnfcc.co.uk
Sustainability guidance from NNFCC
Whilst tracking the market
landscape, NNFCC have been helping AD and bioenergy clients understand what new
policies mean for their business and how to strengthen their supply chain, to
be resilient to increasingly stringent sustainability policy. We have developed
a user-friendly carbon calculator for biogas and biomethane producers to
demonstrate compliance with sustainability criteria, for RHI, RO, or RTFO (in
line with policy guidance).
NNFCC’s Biomethane & Biogas Carbon Calculator
deals with the complexities of multiple feedstocks and is excel-based, making
it easy to use, robust and transparent. It also graphically highlights where
weaknesses lie in supply chains and where to focus efforts on reducing
emissions, to comply with regulation as it is inevitably set to tighten in the
future. Access options for the Biomethane & Biogas Carbon Calculator can be found here.
Notes to Editors
About NNFCC
NNFCC Ltd is a specialist bioeconomy consultancy based in York,
the UK. Established by the UK government
in 2003 as the National Non-Food Crops Centre, NNFCC has grown to become a
leading independent consultancy focused on understanding biorenewable markets and
technologies. They provide global
clients with a holistic view of feedstock, technology, policy and market
development across the bioeconomy, enabling informed business decisions and
sustainable business strategies. NNFCC
also provides technical, market and policy expertise on the conversion of
biomass and waste to bioenergy, biofuels and biobased products to the UK
government. See more at
http://www.nnfcc.co.uk.
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