Developed by Emerald Biogas, the 8 million plant has the capacity to process up to 50,000 tonnes of food waste from the region. However, planning permission has been secured to expand the capacity to four times its current size.
The facility, which is based at Newton Aycliffe Industrial Estate, represents the North Easts first commercial food waste treatment facility and will generate enough electricity to power 2,000 homes each year.
The use of de-packaging equipment allows the facility to process card, plastics and other materials associated with waste from supermarkets, fast food outlets and businesses. The materials are then sent to local recycling facilities for further processing. In addition, the digestate produced by the plant will be spread onto local farmland.
Funding for the project was secured through the Rural Development Programme for England, which is jointly funded by Defra and the European Union.
Resource minister Dan Rogerson has welcomed the project. He said: Dealing with waste and recycling properly is good for the environment and good for businesses, creating a stronger economy and jobs. Our AD loan fund has helped to support the development of this plant which will treat food waste, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and recycle valuable nutrients back to the land.
Potential
Emerald Biogas is a partnership between food waste and recycling business John Warren ABP and farming, land and resource management firm Agricore. John Warren ABP managed the collection side of the business.
Antony Warren, Director, Emerald Biogas said: I am delighted with the progress made in terms of getting the plant to this stage. It is fantastic to see it up and running, as this truly is a one of a kind facility in the North East and the first in the region to begin operating. We are now in the position to accept and process unwanted commercial food waste and employ the latest AD technology to create a valued commodity that will be extremely beneficial to the local business and farming community.
We are all excited for the positive journey ahead, with expansion a strong possibility, as we would like to see Emerald Biogas reach its full potential in the near future.
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Construction
The facility was constructed by Entec Biogas GmBH which has been working on the installation for 12 months.
Berhard Schulz, chief executive of Entec, added: We were really pleased to be able to deliver this project on budget and on time, despite the challenges the weather brought this winter. The team has worked hard to ensure a successful commissioning phase and to enable the plant to start the next stage, processing waste and creating energy.
