PM should back British biomethane in energy crisis 

PM should back British biomethane in energy crisis
Sector could help shield the UK from high prices and import dependence

The Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA), representing the UK biogas industry, has today written to Prime Minister Keir Starmer urging him to lift barriers to home-grown biomethane production to shield the country from the impacts of the Iran energy crisis.

The letter, also shared with Energy Secretary of State Ed Miliband and DESNZ Ministers Lord Whitehead and Michael Shanks), sets out how the UK government could increase its production of biomethane by almost a third by next Winter just by removing regulatory barriers.  This would ensure that Britain reduces its reliance on imports to meet its domestic energy demand. According to ADBA, the sector alone could replace the entire volume of gas imported from Qatar in 2024.

Former Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Chris Huhne, now Chair of ADBA, says:

“As the war in Iran and the Middle East continues to place pressure on global energy markets, the UK faces the prospect of devastating gas prices, potential disruption to international supply and a blow to the economic recovery.”

“The British biogas sector can and should help shield the country from this crisis, but government action is needed to remove the production caps and regulatory barriers that currently artificially constrain output.”

Biomethane is a green gas produced through anaerobic digestion of organic materials such as food waste, agricultural residues and crops grown in rotation. Once upgraded, it can be injected directly into the gas grid.

The sector currently injects roughly 7 TWh of gas annually into the network – this equates to heating around three quarter of a million homes. With policy adjustments allowing existing plants to operate at their full capacity, production could increase to approximately 9 TWh within months.

The letter goes on to explain:

“Current policy arrangements unintentionally constrain the sector’s ability to respond. Production caps mean that some biomethane facilities cannot increase output even when they have the technical capability to do so. In some cases, producers are financially discouraged from operating above a certain level. Removing these caps would allow the existing fleet of plants to maximise production during a period of heightened national need.”

“By removing unnecessary production caps and regulatory barriers, the Government could allow the sector to deliver additional domestic gas quickly and affordably.”

Read the letter to the Prime Minister

– ENDS –

For further information, contact:

Jocelyne Bia, Head of Corporate Communications, ADBA
e: jocelyne.bia@adbioresources.org; tel: 020 3176 0592

Notes to editors

About ADBA

The Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA) is the industry association for the UK anaerobic digestion (AD) and biogas industry. ADBA’s vision is to see the full potential of the UK green gas 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 over 750 AD plants operational across the UK

• The entire industry digests approximately 36 million tonnes of organic material 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 2050, the UK AD and biogas industry is expected to:

• produce over 100TWh of biomethane

• provide between 20% and 50% of UK gas demand

• create 60,000 jobs (30,000 direct and 30,000 indirect).

• save the UK 27 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent – equivalent to taking 1/3rd of all cars off the road

• 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 in the absence of oxygen in a container called a digester. The process extracts the energy this material contains in the form of biogas leaving the remaining organic matter called digestate – a stable, nutrient-rich substance used as a biofertiliser which restores soil health. Organic wastes typically treated through AD include food waste, animal manures and slurries, other agri-wastes, food & drink processing wastes, sewage sludge.