The facility, run by Eco Sustainable Solutions, produces biomethane, which is injected directly into the local gas network.
Planning permission for the plant was granted more than a decade ago, with construction beginning in 2024. The facility was commissioned earlier this year and has six full-time operators.
The plant is located within Eco’s 40-acre Eco Park at Parley.
Simon Boyd, Vice-President of Dorset Chamber and Managing Director of Christchurch-based REIDsteel, officially opened the facility.
Boyd said: “I was absolutely stunned by what this plant can do. Being someone who gets rid of their food waste each week then seeing that it can go back into a system that generates gas that can go into the grid and supply up to 7,000 homes with heating is a phenomenal achievement.
“This couldn’t come at a better time because we need a mix of energy. This energy resource works 24 hours a day whether the wind blows or not or the sun shines or not.
“It’s a really good addition to that mix that we need to get as a country so that we can bring down the energy costs that are affecting all businesses.”
Simpler Recycling
Justin Dampney, Managing Director of Eco Sustainable Solutions, said the opening marked a significant milestone in the company’s 30-year history.
He added: “This facility, which has been developed as a response to the Government’s Simpler Recycling reforms, operates around the clock and has the capacity to recycle more than 1,000 tonnes of food waste every week.
“This material is transformed into renewable biomethane injected into the gas network, along with a nutrient-rich biofertiliser, for agriculture; both are particularly useful given the current climate.”
He added that safety and design had been prioritised throughout the project, describing the result as a facility that would serve the region for decades.
Eco operates sites at Parley, Piddlehinton and Weymouth, processing green waste, wood, road sweepings and food waste for customers including Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council and Dorset Council.
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