Prince of Wales visits Gwynedd AD plant

Due to begin operating in August, the 5 million GwyriAD plant, at Llwyn Isaf near Caernarfon, will have the capacity to convert 11,500 tonnes of household waste into renewable energy every year.

The plant is the first of three to be built in Wales by Biogen, with facilities scheduled to be constructed in Waen, Rhuallt near St Asaph, and at Bryn Pica in Rhondda Cynon Taf.

Feedstock for the plant will come from local businesses and households. The council are in the process of rolling out food waste caddies to households throughout the county.

As well as preventing thousands of tonnes of food waste going to landfill sites, the plant will generate enough electricity to provide for 700 homes a year, the equivalent of powering the nearby community of Penygroes.

Fertiliser

The facility will replace the current method of food waste disposal for the county, in which it is sent to in-vessel composting sites in Harlech, Penhesgyn and Anglesey. The anaerobic digestion process will also provide a nutrient rich biofertiliser that will be used to on the farmland around Gwynedd.

Richard Barker, chief executive of Biogen, attended the Prince of Wales visit, who received a guided tour of the facility on Tuesday (July 2).

Mr Barker said: We are delighted that His Royal Highness took the time to have a personal tour of the plant. We hope that we demonstrated to him why Biogen is the UKs leading specialist in anaerobic digestion.

Developments

Biogen marketing manager Anita Smith added: His Royal Highness was particularly interested in how central and local government are supporting developments in favour of anaerobic digestion.

He was interested in how advanced control technologies allow such plants to be run remotely and also in the credentials of the biofertiliser produced as part of the anaerobic digestion process and how it is used as an alternative fertilisers for farmers.

Ms Smith also commented on the appearance of the plant, which she said blends in with its rural surroundings.

Gwynedd council selected BiogenGreenfinch as the preferred bidder for the facility in March 2012 (see letsrecycle story). As one of the UKs leading anaerobic digestion specialists, Biogen is responsible for 16 anerobic digestion plants across the UK to date.