Lord Callanan to headline anaerobic digestion and biogas industry conference 2023 on 6th December

Lord Callanan to headline anaerobic digestion and biogas industry conference 2023 on 6th December

• Representatives from DESNZ, Defra, the National Infrastructure Commission and the Environment Agency will be among decision-makers speaking at the event organised in London by the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA).
• The theme of the ADBA National Conference 2023 will be “Anaerobic Digestion – the imperative for resource resilience”.
• This will be the second time that Lord Callanan, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance) at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, addresses the Conference.

The UN* has just issued a warning that the world is heading towards a “hellish 3˚C global temperature rise” and current trends show a rise of 2.5°C to 2.9°C by the end of the century. If climate change is left unabated, the impacts on the global supply chains will be far, far greater in magnitude than the ones currently caused by the war in Ukraine. Business understands this, raising the alarm about the economic cost of inaction against climate change. “We need to put the economy on a new footing”, they say, “one that is resource-led, to secure climate, energy and food security”.

In a geopolitically unstable world, this is the only game in town. Underlying the shift triggered by the Russia-Ukraine war is a recognition that nations must in future develop the technologies needed to maximise the resources at their disposal.

To debate how the UK addresses those issues and what the anaerobic digestion and biogas industry can contribute, the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA) has assembled a strong line-up of experts to provide insights at the forthcoming ADBA National Conference 2023, which will take place on 6th December at One Great George Street, London, SW1P 3AA.

The conference will be chaired by former Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne, now Chair of ADBA, who said: “The issue for green gas is no longer whether the sector will grow, but how quickly. UNEP’s latest report has underlined the urgency of capturing the organic wastes we generate, and transforming them into the green gas and biofertiliser needed to address climate change. This conference will highlight how UK policymakers see the sector’s contribution to energy security and net zero, and whether the UK will be at the higher or lower level of the International Energy Agency’s projected 8 to 22 per cent annual global growth.”

Alongside Lord Callanan, confirmed speakers include:

• Richard Caldecourt, Emissions Trading, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ)
• Alan Johnson, Simpler Recycling Business Case Lead and AD Waste Policy, Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
• Joanna Campbell, Assistant Director, National Infrastructure Commission (NIC)
• Tim Small, HM Principal Inspector of Health and Safety, Waste and Recycling Sector, Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
• Spence Seaman, Manager, Environment Agency
• Dr Nick Primmer, Policy Lead, Future Biogas
• Matt Hindle, Head of Net Zero and Sustainability, Wales & West Utilities
• Philippa Arnold, Environment Policy Adviser (Waste), National Farmers’ Union (NFU)
• David Hurren, President, British Compressed Gas Association
• Joel Martin, Biomethane Connections Manager, SGN

… and more…

View the full programme.

REGISTER NOW.

* Source: UNEP Emissions Gaps report 2023

-ENDS-

For further information, contact:
Jocelyne Bia, Senior Communications Consultant
e: Jocelyne.bia@adbioresources.org; tel: 020 3176 0592

Notes to editors

• Lord Callanan biography
• The Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA) is the trade association for the UK anaerobic digestion (AD) and biogas industry. ADBA’s vision is to see the full potential of the UK AD industry realised so it can help the UK achieve its emissions targets and other policy goals, creating a truly circular economy. www.adbioresources.org
• About the AD industry
  • There are currently 723 AD plants operational in the UK.
  • The entire industry digests approximately 46 million tonnes of organic material each year – organic material that would otherwise emit greenhouse gas if left untreated in landfill.
  • Currently, nearly 20 TWh of biogas is produced each year by the AD industry – this green gas is either used to generate electricity and heat via a combined heat and power (CHP) unit or upgraded to biomethane and injected directly into the national gas grid. This is enough to heat 1.6 million UK homes.
  • The industry currently delivers 1% greenhouse gas savings in the UK every year.
  • An estimated 4,800 people are currently employed in the AD and biogas industry in the UK.
  • Fully deployed, by 2030, the UK AD and biogas industry expected to:
    • Generate ~55 TWh of biogas
    • create 30,000 direct and 30,000 indirect jobs.
    • save the UK 27 MtCO2eq (Million Tonnes CO2 equivalent) = taking 1/3rd of all cars off the road, by 2030.
    • heat 4.5-6.4 million UK homes with the 8 billion m3 of biomethane generated
• How AD works
  Anaerobic digestion (AD) is the natural breakdown of organic matter when deprived of oxygen in a container called digester. The process produces biogas and a residue called digestate – a stable, nutrient-rich substance used as a biofertiliser which restores soil health.