MEMBER’S PRESS RELEASE: Third biomethane-to-grid contract for Chesterfield BioGas in Scotland

Chesterfield BioGas (CBG) has been awarded a further contract to supply its biogas upgrading technology for a plant that will be using organic agricultural waste to provide biomethane for injection into the gas grid.

The plant, located at St. Boswells, near Melrose in the Scottish borders, will process raw biogas produced by anaerobic digestion of energy crops and some vegetable wastes. This biogas will then be cleaned to more than 98% purity using a Greenlane® upgrading plant from CBG. It is planned that over 3 million cubic metres of gas per annum will be injected into the grid, once the plant starts operations in Summer 2015.

The feedstock for the anaerobic digester (AD) will be sourced under a long-term arrangement with a number of farms in the vicinity.

CBG’s contract is with Iona Capital, in collaboration with project partners Scotia Gas Networks (SGN) on behalf of site owners and project developers Charlesfield First LLP. CBG and Iona are already working together on a similar gas-to-grid project which is nearing completion on a farm site at Coupar Angus in Perthshire. Both plants will be managed by Biogas Power Ltd who advised on the adoption of the water-wash method of biogas upgrading.

Managing Director of Biogas Power, Ed Cattigan said:

“I am a strong advocate of water-wash technology and we are very pleased to be working with CBG and Iona a second project.”

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The ‘Rimu’ unit being installed on Charlesfield’s estate at St. Boswells is a mid-capacity model in the new-generation of Greenlane water-wash upgraders.

The system is proven on over 80 operational sites around the world, but this particular model will be the first in its throughput volume range to be installed in the UK. It has the flexibility to efficiently process between 250 and 800 cubic metres of biogas per hour.

Pressure Technologies, the holding company of CBG, purchased the worldwide business of Greenlane Biogas on 1st October 2014. The acquisition underlines its confidence in the worldwide potential for this water-wash process.

CBG’s contract for the St Boswells site includes a 5-year enhanced aftercare package providing comprehensive 24/7 cover for the upgrader. This includes remote monitoring and management of the plant’s performance, further strengthened by having scheduled monthly site visits by a dedicated UK-based CBG service team.

Stephen McCulloch, Managing Director of CBG, added:

“This latest contract underlines our position as the leading supplier of upgrading systems in the UK biogas sector as a whole, and in Scotland in particular, where it is our third contract within 12 months. We are gratified that existing customers have turned to us again for a further project.&rdquordquo;

The plant at Coupar Angus is expected to be the first completed biomethane-to grid-project in Scotland, when it sends biomethane to the Scottish natural gas grid in December 2014.