AD industry making huge progress – Defra

ADBA PRESS RELEASE

Defra has launched its first progress report on the AD Strategy and Action Plan at the AD industry annual exhibition and tradeshow, UK AD & Biogas 2012.

The report has detailed how government and the AD industry is delivering against actions to help industry development which were agreed in the AD Strategy and Action Plan published June 2011.

ADBA is responsible for all of the AD industry-led outputs, and has already delivered actions including a due diligence template, a guide to process safety regulations, a dictionary of AD terms and regular Finance Forums. Partners such as WRAP and Defra have been involved in these and other actions.

ADBA Chief Executive, Charlotte Morton, said:

A year on from the AD Strategy and Action Plan, Defra’s update shows the enormous progress which has been made in the industry.

 

The Action Plan has helped bring greater focus on biogas, and deliver a number of useful outputs, such as the due diligence template, dictionary of AD terms and WRAP’s AD loan fund.

 

However, growing the industry can still feel like riding a bike with the brakes on – as the independent CentreForum report launched at UK AD & Biogas 2012 shows, there is much more that could be done to release AD’s enormous potential. Work over the next year needs to focus on releasing waste by banning organics from landfill and promoting source segregation, creating common sustainability guidelines for bioenergy and ensuring a stability and certainty in financial incentives.

Clare Hawley, Deputy Director Waste Strategy and Management, Defra said:

The AD industry has been making huge progress – as the buzz around UK AD & Biogas 2012 shows.

 

We are very pleased that AD capacity has doubled in the time since the Action Plan was published – and there have been significant achievements, including the launch of the AD Loan Fund and reducing issues around planning and regulation.

 

We are very grateful for the input of industry on the Action Plan, and working to deliver outstanding actions.