Biogas production in the UK doubled in 2016 and the country now has almost 90 plants injecting green biomethane into the gas grid, double the number this time last year, according to a new report from the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA).
Published yesterday the organisation’s annual National Conference in Westminster, the 2016 Market Report investigates and explores the growth, developments and market changes in the AD industry to date.
Accordind to the report the total number of AD plants in live operation has risen from 424 a year ago to 540 today, giving the UK more capacity to recycle food waste, more sustainable farming and wastewater treatment, more low-carbon baseload electricity, and more green gas in our grid.
Key highlights from the market report include:
AD now has a capacity of over 708 MWe-e, equivalent to the capacity required to power 850,000 homes – an increase of 35% over this time last year
Over 100 plants were installed in 2015, and by the end of the year 50-80 new plants will have opened in 2016 – but this will fall to 20-40 in 2018 without policy change
Under current policy, there will be no government support for new.
However, ADBA said that the growth has come in spite of policy uncertainty around the future of low carbon energy support, which it warned is stifling future growth.
Commenting on the report, Charlotte Morton, Chief Executive of ADBA, said:
“In 2015 and 2016 green gas has gone mainstream, with biomethane now heating around 170,000 homes in the UK without the householder needing to do anything differently themselves.
“Biomethane to grid is a real success story for the Renewable Heat Incentive, and we look forward to the government setting out its plans for the next phase of the support scheme.
“Incentives for renewable electricity, however, are heavily restricted, which is a huge missed opportunity. With the right support the biogas industry could deliver 250MW of new generation capacity over the next two years – enough to add 10% to our tight winter 2018 capacity margin and bring benefits to farming, recycling and the economy.
“BEIS should urgently address the Feed-in Tariff budget to boost investment in this vital infrastructure for reliable baseload power."
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