New ADBA Board appointments reflect diverse sector interests

ADBA has announced three new board members to support and enhance the trade body’s representation and knowledge base in the burgeoning anaerobic digestion market.

ADBA is the UK's only trade body specifically representing the AD market and has around 350 members.

In the last five years the AD industry has seen extraordinary growth of 622 per cent outside of the water sector, with energy generation from sewage gas increasing by over 25 per cent, too. With about 100 new AD plants opening last year alone, the biogas industry is today already delivering the equivalent of around 2.3 per cent of the UK’s domestic gas demand, but could increase this potential to over 30 per cent, whilst reducing the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions by over 2 per cent.

Policy decisions are taken by the next government, particularly on renewable energy support and local authority food waste collections, will dictate the rate of growth towards this potential.

With substantial expertise in food waste and local authority policy, the new appointments are:

• Julian O’Neill, Chief Executive of Biogen;
• William Heller, Chief Executive of Tamar Energy; and
• Dr. David Greenfield FCIWM, CEnv, Advisor to the Local Authority Waste Network Coordinators (WNC) and Managing Director of SOENECS (Social, Environmental and Economic Solutions Ltd).

ADBA’s Chief Executive, Charlotte Morton, commented:

As the trade association for the AD and bioresources industry, a key aspect of our work is to represent all sectors of our industry and to demonstrate what the anaerobic digestion industry can deliver for the UK to attract appropriate government support. To help us understand the issues affecting each sector and adapt our strategy to best support the growth of the industry, we take care to appoint a board which is as representative of the industry and our membership as possible.

Together, Willie, Julian and David will support our ambitions to grow the food waste sector and to encourage local authorities to support source segregated collections. Through substantially increasing the amount of food waste available for industry, not only would segregated collections increase recycling, but treating the UK’s inedible food waste through AD could produce 9.3TWh per year by 2025 – enough green gas to heat half of the homes in London.

Commenting on his new role on the ADBA board, Dr. David Greenfield commented:

I firmly believe that anaerobic digestion and the use of bioresources are an essential part of the energy and resource management future of this country. My role will be to ensure ADBA acts as the independent expert to move this sector forward.

Julian O’Neill added:

ADBA plays a pivotal role in leading the development of the anaerobic digestion industry and I am delighted to join the new board along with my colleagues from other parts of the sector. As a leading operator in the food waste AD business, Biogen has an unrivalled view on the challenges and opportunities that exist across the market and it is this perspective that will help support the strategy of ADBA going forward.

William Heller added:

I hope to help ADBA make a strong, fact based, case that AD is the best economic and environmental solution for organic waste for both local authorities and the C&I market.

In addition to these appointees, ADBA will also shortly be making new appointments for representatives in the farming and water sectors.