A new report has shown that anaerobic digestion (AD) plants across the UK now have enough capacity to power over a million homes.
The Anaerobic Digestion & Bioresources Association’s (ADBA’s) July 2017 Market Report was launched at UK AD & Biogas and World Biogas Expo 2017 last month.
The report shows that AD in the UK capacity has increased 18 per cent compared to this time last year. Operational performance in the industry continues to improve, with load factors rising to 73% in 2016, up from 69% the previous year.
ABDA says that AD is currently reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 1 per cent and employing more than 3,500 people in the UK, but with the right policy support the association believes emissions could be reduced by 4 per cent and employ 35,000 people.
Between 50 and 80 new AD plants were commissioned in 2016 but this number is projected to fall in 2017 as a result of policy uncertainty.
Commenting on the report, ADBA Chief Executive Charlotte Morton said: “The fact that AD can now power over a million homes is a great milestone to achieve.
“However, while it’s encouraging that the new Government has committed to the Paris Agreement and to meeting the UK’s Carbon Budgets, there is currently a desperate lack of long-term policy support for AD, particularly in heat and transport, areas where AD can make a significant contribution to decarbonisation.
“While there are 437 AD plants in the planning stage, most of these are unlikely to be built without stronger government support for AD. This is a huge wasted opportunity – the Government needs to act now to provide both short- and long-term certainty for the AD industry to enable it to deliver the green energy the Government urgently needs both to meet its legally binding climate change targets and for the UK’s energy security.”
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