Black Dog Biogas brings MT-Energie's AD technology to the Isle of Wight

ADBA MEMBER NEWS

The Isle of Wight, off the south coast of Great Britain, is well known as an attractive destination for both tourists and music lovers. The island is also home to a growing number of renewable energy assets, with an anaerobic digestion (AD) plant soon to be added. MT-Energie UK, one of the leading providers of AD plants and gas upgrading systems in the UK and ADBA Member, has just signed a contract to deliver this project.

The client, Black Dog Biogas Ltd, funded by Sustainable Technology Investors EIS Fund, has commissioned MT-Energie UK to construct a 500 kW AD plant on the island. There is a second stage plan to extend the facility further with an additional satellite CHP providing heat to a nearby development.

Planning permission for the plant was secured by Keith Leddington-Hill of Laurence Gould Partnership Ltd, working with MT-Energie.

The layout of the project, consisting of a digester, a secondary fermenter and a residue storage tank, also incorporates the MT-Energie innovative wet feeding system, called MT-MixBox, as well as a separator to dilute dry substrates conveyed into the process. This is necessary as the feedstock mix contains high amounts of grass silage. Further materials to be
fermented are maize silage and cattle manure. There is flexibility for the plant to use other feedstocks such as food waste, if required.

The particular location of the plant, which will be built near a bay, necessitates special conditions for water conservation during construction and subsequent operations to protect the local environment.

MT-Energie National Sales Manager, Ben Donaldson, explained:

This project is designed to primarily generate electricity; however we additionally intend to capture and use the heat in a neighbouring manufacturing plant. The planned satellite CHP will be located next to an industrial user in order to provide sustainable heat and electricity directly onsite.

Fredrik Adams from Black Dog Biogas commented:

We are delighted to bring AD technology to the island through a project that aims not only to produce electricity but also to make efficient use of heat, thereby boosting the environmental credentials of the plant.

Jim Totty from Sustainable Technology Investors added:

We are pleased to be financing the Black Dog Biogas plant on the Isle of Wight and look forward to providing clean and renewable energy to the local community.

Robert Symes, who will be sourcing feedstock for the plant, is happy that construction has started following two and half years of planning. He is looking to work with other local farmers to grow maize and grass silage.