News & Insights
Plaxton Bridge, located near Hull (UK) will produce between 4 million and 5.4 million cubic metres of biomethane gas at full operational capacity. The plant will process 72,000 tonnes of potato waste each year. This is enough to power 3,700 homes. In January 2020, we were delighted to announce that Northern Gas Networks confirmed the plant achieved gas to grid on January 27th 2020 and the EA Permit has also been issued. This follows an intense period of works led by Neil Wright, Solar 21’s on site Project Manager, coordinating the efforts of the primary contractors BTS Biogas and Ashcourt. Please see our latest project progress report for further information on the plant’s development.
How is Biogas Produced?
Anaerobic digestion is a process that produces biogas, a high-energy gas made up of mainly methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (C02) from the breakdown of organic material in the absence of oxygen. To make it usable in the national gas pipeline, the biogas must undergo a purification process that removes other gases and impurities, turning it into what is called biomethane (a gas composed of 99% methane).
Government-backed Revenue
Plaxton Bridge will qualify for the non-domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), part of the UK government’s Clean Growth Strategy to stimulate the growth of renewable energy technologies. Under the scheme, the UK government will pay an incentive per cubic metre of biomethane and MWth (megawatt thermal) of heat produced. The incentive will be guaranteed for a period of 20 years.
We have also signed a contract with Ørsted for gas offtake and green gas certificates. This means the plant receives income for gas produced as well as a payment for green gas under the Green Gas Certification Scheme. Headquartered in Denmark, Ørsted employs 6,500 people and had a revenue of $11.4 billion in 2018. Ørsted develops, constructs and operates offshore and onshore wind farms, solar farms and energy storage facilities, bioenergy plants and provides energy products to its customers. It was recently ranked the most sustainable company in the world.
