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Biogas Plant Set For Wincanton

Plans for a new anaerobic digestion plant in Wincanton, Somerset, have been approved by the county council, with construction expected to begin in 2018.

Somerset Live reported on the decision by the council, which will see AcrEnergy, a London-based biomass company, replace existing buildings on Brains Farm with a farm anaerobic digestion plant.

The company intends to process “agricultural manures, crops, crop residues and pasteurised food waste” on the site, with the council limiting the amount of waste it can process each year to 50,000 tonnes.

AcrEnergy has also committed to a number of steps, particularly during the construction phase, that are designed to protect the local countryside and animals that live there.

Among them are the commitment to not remove any hedgerows or shrubs between March 1 and August 31 to allow birds to continue to nest in them; to gradually reduce the level of onsite vegetation to prevent the deaths of amphibians and reptiles; and to carry out extensive onsite planting.

No doubt the company will be looking for the best tank breather valves it can get before it begins construction work next year, as well as sourcing other high-quality parts for the new plant.

This is far from the first such plant to be constructed in the county though, with Somerset Waste Partnership using an anaerobic digestion plant to help tackle the county’s food waste.

According to the organisation, the facility processes up to 30,000 tonnes of food waste per year, generating enough electricity to power 1,700 homes, as well as providing electricity for the plant itself.