Waste contracts could generate growth in Yorkshire

Dr Les Gornall, the UK’s top anaerobic digestion specialist, is appealing to local authorities to help fuel the growth in potentially highly profitable anaerobic digestion plants.

Also known as Dr Sludge, he is presenting a workshop at the Biorenewables in the Humber conference on October 20 at Bishop Burton College, where he will explore the opportunities and challenges for both agriculture and industry.

Anaerobic digestion is widely used as a source of renewable energy. The process produces a biogas, which can be used for industrial or domestic purposes to release energy and/or manage waste.

’The government wants to see a massive increase in anaerobic digestion and as a result many people have become focussed on it as a business enterprise, with increased enthusiasm from equity houses,’ said Dr Gornall who is currently a process consultant at PROjEN BioEnergy.

’But the short term contracts offered by councils to supply waste to the plants is not satisfactory to the banks which want to see 10 year contracts to offset loans.’

He said that local councils could play a key role in unlocking finance and that they needed to work creatively with business owners in setting up waste contracts to ensure that the potential for investment could be reached.

’The Yorkshire and Humber region could be anaerobic digester heaven due to its plentiful arable land and large companies creating waste products,’ said Dr Gornall.

’Investors like the inflation-related feed in tariffs, and in the right location, AD plants can pay for themselves within six years. If the tariffs were set a bit higher and longer contracts offered by councils it would provide the incentive to make a massive difference.’

Dr Gornall believes that anaerobic digestion could contribute up to a quarter of the governments 2020 renewable energy targets. Currently, an average of one plant is being opened in the UK each month, with many enquiries being made to build clusters.

He added: ’Energy security is paramount and we absolutely must seek and support energy generation from every renewable technology we can find.’

At the day-long conference organised by Humber Chemical Focus (HCF) and the National Non Food Crops Centre (NNFCC), Dr Gornall will present anaerobic digestion cases studies covering issues such as feedstocks, challenges and health & safety.

He will present the workshop alongside Alex Young, chair of the REA’s Renewable Power Group. They join other eminent experts in a range of biorenewables including Rob Wood, biomass buyer at DRAX, and Robert Smith, commercial director at Vivergo Fuels, both of whom will examine scale solutions to energy needs, and Dr Nick Cheffins of Peak Hill Associates and Mark Lynn of Second Nature who will cover biorenewables in the built environment.

The morning speakers include Dr Jeremy Tomkinson, CEO of the NNFCC, the UK’s national centre for biorenewable energy, fuels and materials and Dr Graham Hillier, director of strategy and futures at the Centre for Process Innovation and Rich Hall, senior manager, sustainability, at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

A question, answer and debate session will be led by Julian Rush, former science and environment correspondent for Channel 4 News.

Although biorenewables are considered by some as less glamorous than other renewable energy options, it is expected to make up around a third of the UK’s total renewable capability by 2020. Biorenewables refers to electricity, heat, transport fuels, materials and chemicals that are generated using biomass. Biomass covers anything made from plant or animal material including waste streams such as manure and spoiled food.