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Offshoot of UK brewer Adnams has completed construction of a groundbreaking anaerobic digestion (AD) plant that will feed renewable gas direct into the national gas grid.

Together with British Gas and National Grid, Adnams Bio Energy will start producing biomethane from brewery and local food waste later this summer.

The AD plant will be able to generate 4.8 million kWh per year and in future enough renewable gas to power both Adnams’ brewery and its fleet of lorries, with 60% leftover to inject into the grid.

The three digesters – or sealed vessels – making up the plant house naturally-occurring bacteria that can break down up to 12,500 tonnes of organic waste.

In conjunction with Centrica, which owns British Gas, Adnams has also installed solar thermal panels and photovoltaics to turn the site into a mini energy park generating more than enough to power the whole facility. Any surplus power will be exported.

The construction of the facility has been supported by funding from RBS, the European Regional Development Fund (EDRF), East of England Development Agency (EEDA) and the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC).

“This project demonstrates how local communities can help us move to a low carbon energy future,” says Gearóid Lane of British Gas.

“The reality of being able to convert our own brewing waste and local food waste to power Adnams’ brewery and vehicles is very exciting,” adds Adnams’ chief executive Andy Wood. “The industrial ecology cycle is completed when the fertiliser produced from the AD process is used on farmland to grow barley for Adnams beer.”

For further information:
http://adnams.co.uk/
www.centrica.com
www.nationalgrid.com/uk/
www.eeda.org.uk/erdf
www.decc.gov.uk

Related stories:
Renewable gas could meet 16% of demand, says National Grid (23-Jul)
UK Government to mull potential of anaerobic digestion (8-Jul)