UK: waste to natural gas plant gets £6 million to advance development

National Grid has been awarded £5.4 million to build and operate the first-ever plant capable of turning residual waste from local homes and businesses into substitute natural gas to be piped into the national gas grid. The new funding, which has been awarded under Ofgem’s Network Innovation Competition (NIC), will complement £11 million secured from the Department for Transport in September by the consortium which is led by Advanced Plasma Power (APP), a UK advanced waste to energy and fuels company.

Construction of the plant will begin in 2016 and the consortium has already identified local customers for the product and suppliers for the feedstock. As well as National Grid and APP, the consortium also includes gas distribution company Wales & West Utilities, clean energy firm Progressive Energy, and CNG Services, a company which provides gas for use in vehicles.

The plant in Swindon will be the first of its kind in the world, taking residual waste – the UK’s largest sustainable source of biomass – and converting it into biomethane, using APP’s pioneering Gasplasma® technology. Once up and running, it will divert 7,500 tons of refuse derived fuel from landfill to produce 1.5m kilos of substitute natural gas annually – enough to fuel 75 heavy goods vehicles or 1,500 homes.

“We are delighted that this outstanding project has received further backing, and that Ofgem has recognised the potential to revolutionise how renewable gas is produced. The biomethane created from household waste offers an environmentally friendly solution to fuel vehicles, homes and businesses,” said Rolf Stein, CEO of Advanced Plasma Power. “This project has a key role to play in providing a renewable, secure and cost effective source of natural gas in line with government policy.”

https://www.ngvjournal.com/uk-waste-to-natural-gas-plant-gets-6-million-to-advance-development/