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Welcome to the latest issue of AD & Bioresources News: Issue 29, November

Demonstrating the value of AD to government and “Unlocking feedstocks to secure AD’s future”

As Chris Huhne says in his Foreword to this issue (p3) “the political challenge for us at ADBA is to make the case for AD in an increasingly sceptical environment” and your voice is vital to do this; there are many “good songs to sing” for the industry. My column (p4) picks up on this theme and notes the positive trend that “there has been a determination by the industry to demonstrate the excellent return on investment that anaerobic digestion (AD) offers.”

The best way for us to get Government support is by you making the case to your MP. To help you do that, we have created an MP Briefing Document (enclosed in this issue or available to download here). This sets out all our best arguments, including our current excellent return on investment and our unique selling points, demonstrating the huge contribution that AD could make to deliver the baseload energy and other vital benefits the UK needs, subject of course to getting ongoing support to allow us to continue to grow. You can use the information in the MP Briefing Document along with our template MP letter to invite your constituency Member of Parliament to visit your site/plant and let them see first-hand the value of AD – I urge you to do this as soon as possible. The more MPs we have making our case, the more the Government will listen.

As anyone involved in the industry will testify, Britain’s AD sector has come a long way in just a few short years. Over 420 plants are now generating 7.4 TWh of biogas, but this is just a fraction of what we have the potential to achieve. ADBA has calculated that AD can deliver 80 TWh – equivalent to 30 per cent of the UK’s household gas demand – by making more of existing feedstocks, and unlocking the value of new or underexploited feedstocks. Getting this material into the UK’s anaerobic digesters is now of great importance if the industry is to continue to grow. Our main feature in this issue, “Unlocking feedstocks to secure AD’s future”, explores the unlocking of feedstock as diverse as food waste, manure, high lignin feedstocks like straw, and seaweed.

Our National Conference: “Building a World Class AD Industry” is just round the corner (3 December, One Great George Street, London) and will explore the future pathways available to AD, including the contribution biogas can make to the UK’s renewable electricity, heat, transport, recycling and climate change targets, as well as helping to keep farmers farming. As well as gaining insight on the politics of AD, debating how the industry can rise to the challenge to build a competitive, world class AD industry increasingly independent of direct subsidy, delegates can hear the latest policy updates and do business with key players in the industry in the exhibition over lunch. Watch out for the Conference Preview on p18-23.

Also in this issue:

  • Free editorial opportunities in 2016: p3
  • ADBA News: p4-6
  • Government & Agency News: p7
  • Technology Focus: Biogas upgrading: p15-17
  • Advice Clinic: On-farm AD: p24-25
  • Members’ News and Views: p26-28
  • R&D Update: p29
  • Policy: p30-31
  • Regions: p32
  • Operator & Working Groups: p33
  • Upcoming Events: p35
  • Membership Matters: p36-38

I hope you find this issue enjoyable and informative. If you haven’t contributed before and would like to, turn to page 3 to see how you can be involved in our upcoming features. We have included a full Features List for 2016. As always, if you have any views, comments or suggestions – or would like us to visit your site – please get in touch by email: vera.gerson@adbioresources.org or phone: +44 (0)203 176 0590.

Charlotte Morton

Chief Executive

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