The facility, which is being built at the companys Doncaster headquarters, is the first in this country to be developed under the ReFood brand, as part of a partnership between PDM and German company SARIA Bioindustries.
It will eventually offer the capacity to treat around 45,000 tonnes of food waste a year, sourced from businesses across the food chain, ranging from large industrial food processors to small take-aways.
The AD process will produce 2.8 megawatts of renewable electricity and heat.
Work on the plant, which began in September 2010 (see letsrecycle.com story), has already seen the steel frame for the reception and the depackaging facility erected and a concrete digestor and foundations for the plants biogas storage facility are both now in place.
According to PDM, development on the project will speed up visibly in the next few weeks as more and more of the kit and cladding for the plant is added, including the ReFood dome and stainless steel pasteurisation units.
Paul Morris, operations director at PDM, commented: The ReFood plant is really starting to take shape and is on schedule to be completed and operational this summer.
Were now entering some of the more exciting phases, which will see the structure of the plant finalised, ready for the internal equipment to be added.
The contractors for the plants development, who were named in January 2011 (see letsrecycle.com story) include Danish biogas specialist Bigadan and German biogas digester construction firm Form-tec.
Renewable energy firm Clarke Energy are providing engines and generators suitable for use with biogas and Doncaster-based architects John Hill and Associates are managing design and construction over the eight-month building period.
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Mr Morris said that PDM already had a number of local businesses on board to use the plant and said that many of the companys existing national customers were also keen to see their food waste being dealt with using AD.
PDM is aiming for ReFood to be a nationwide food waste collection and AD recycling operation and said it was already looking at where and when to build the next plants.
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