Anaerobic Digestion Facility at Lochhead Landfill to be Assessed

17 February 2011 Plans for a £15.5 million anaerobic digestion plant at the Lochhead landfill in Dunfermline, Scotland could come a stage closer this week, according to a report in The Courier. A policy, finance and asset management committee is being asked to award a conditional contract to design and build the unit ahead of consideration of a final business case. The committee will be asked to allow work to progress up to a sum of £150,000 to complete the site investigation and design works necessary to enable Fife Council to apply to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, to vary an existing pollution prevention and control permit for the site. It is estimated that the 1.4 MW plant could save the local authority £1.2 million per year through the production of heat and electricity. It is also claimed that the facility could reduce carbon emissions of up to 11,000 tonnes a year; produce sufficient renewable electricity to meet the needs of 1500 homes; generate enough heat to meet most of the needs of Queen Margaret Hospital; and produce up to 15,000 litres of liquid fertiliser and 10,000 tonnes of compost per year for use by local farms. There will also be an opportunity in the future to produce refined biofuel for injection into the gas main and for use as vehicle fuel. The proposal - where 43,000 tonnes of food and garden waste would go to produce renewable power and heat - was revealed in October. If councillors do not give the go-ahead for the preliminary work the project will be delayed beyond the target date of March 2013, which will reduce the potential for 'significant revenue savings' in the following year. However, committee members will reportedly be warned that to approve the report, and give the go-ahead for the investigation work at this stage, might be 'abortive' if the final business case does not support such a development. Last year the local authority wrote to every householder near the site as a first step on a road which could lead to a planning application being submitted this year. Community councils were contacted and open days were held. The council already produces enough electricity for 2000 houses and heat for 230 flats from a landfill gas to energy facility at Lochhead landfill. It collects nearly 250,000 tonnes of household and commercial waste per year, and last year recycled and composted over 45% of this waste, making it the second best performing local authority in Scotland.