MP visits Old Whittington Waste Water Treatment Works, Derbyshire, operated by Yorkshire Water

MP visits Old Whittington Waste Water Treatment Works, Derbyshire, operated by Yorkshire Water

• Toby Perkins, MP for Chesterfield visited the Old Whittington Waste Water Treatment Works (WWTC) operated by Yorkshire Water to see the contribution it is making to local energy and waste recycling needs.
• Old Whittington WWTC provides wastewater treatment services for approximately 100,000 residents in the Chesterfield area.

On 14 March 2025, the local MP for Chesterfield Toby Perkins visited the Old Whittington WWTC, located in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, and operated by Yorkshire Water.

Following the visit, Mr Perkins said: “This was a great opportunity to learn how Yorkshire Water can power their Waste Water Treatment Centre at Old Whittington through generating power from the methane by-product from sewage waste. It is this sort of innovation that will help ensure the UK meets its Net Zero target.”

Daniel Oldfield, Head of Bioresources, Yorkshire Water, said: “It was a pleasure to have the opportunity to show Mr Perkins some of the work that we are undertaking in terms of renewable energies as well as the investment we are making in the Chesterfield area, such as £2.7m at Hill View Road, £5m investment at Oaks Farm Lane, Calow, Avenue Farm, Grassmoor and Oakfield Avenue to reduce discharges into local watercourses, due to complete this year.

“Our five-year plan will see further infrastructure investment as we continue to make improvements to our infrastructure for the benefit of our customers and the local environment.”

Mr Perkins was joined on this visit by representatives from the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA), the UK trade body currently campaigning for government to make changes to key policies to help grow the sector and help it play its part in the UK’s Net Zero Transition.

Dr Gareth Mottram, Policy Lead at ADBA, said: “Biogas is a key pillar of renewable energy, providing a consistent and reliable source of power throughout the year, regardless of weather conditions which impact other renewables. With the right policies in place, anaerobic digestion (AD) can support the government in achieving its net zero and levelling up goals. Not only does AD play a crucial role in cutting greenhouse gas emissions, but it also helps reduce household energy bills and creates green jobs across the country.

Biogas is low regret solution that the government must support to ensure we turn organic waste into a valuable resource for powering homes, businesses, and the wider economy.”

ADBA has recently published a report indicating that the use of biogas could cut the cost of meeting Britain’s net zero targets in 2050 by nearly £300 billion against official projections. These findings are the result of new analysis by BMA, drawing on the computer model used by Whitehall.

-ENDS-

For further information, contact:
At Yorkshire Water:
Sarah Robinson, Corporate Affairs Manager (Regional)
e: sarah.robinson@yorkshirewater.co.uk

At ADBA:
Alasdair Rogers, Communications Manager
e: alasdair.rogers@adbioresources.org; tel: +44 (0)20 8434 5407

Notes to editors:

Photo captions:
Toby Perkins MP (centre) with Yorkshire Water personnel at the Old Whittington Waste Water Treatment Works

Toby Perkins MP (2nd from left) with Yorkshire Water personnel at the Old Whittington Waste Water Treatment Works

About Yorkshire Water
Yorkshire Water provides essential water and wastewater services to every corner of the Yorkshire region and beyond 24/7 365 days of the year.  They support 5 million customers every day and 140,000 businesses across the region.

They are set to deliver their largest ever environmental investment between 2025 and 2030, with £8.3bn to be spent across the region.  This includes over £1bn investment to continue to reduce storm discharges into water courses over the next five years. www.yorkshirewater.co.uk

About ADBA
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. adbioresources.org

About the AD industry

• • There are currently 756 AD plants operational in the UK
  • The entire industry digests approximately 36 million tonnes of organic waste each year – organic material that would otherwise emit greenhouse gases including highly potent methane, if left untreated in landfill.
  • An estimated 21TWh 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.
  • The industry currently delivers savings of 1% off the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions every year.
  • An estimated 4,800 people are currently employed in the AD and biogas industry in the UK.
  • Overall the industry grew by 5 per cent last year as the closure of older, smaller plants was outweighed by big-scale units feeding into the gas grid.
  • Fully deployed, by 2030, the UK AD and biogas industry expected to:
    • create 30,000 direct and 30,000 indirect jobs.
    • save the UK 27 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent = taking 1/3rd of all cars off the road, by 2030.
    • heat 6.8 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.