Monsal have now completed the first phase of planning, pre-design, permitting and support services for an advanced food Anaerobic Digestion (AD) and renewable energy contract in March, Cambridgeshire. The project is for Local Generation Limited, a subsidiary of Lifecrown Investments Limited and will be located on land owned by Lifecrown and adjacent to Local Generations sister company Fenmarc Produce, a leading vegetable food packager and processor. Monsal expects to deliver the turnkey AD contract once permits are in place in late 2009 and the project will progress into the construction phase in early 2010.

Food Waste from a range of food businesses and some potato waste from Fenmarc will be processed and recycled by the latest Monsal technology to provide a high grade compost and generate renewable energy from biogas. This will divert food waste from landfill and lower emissions of harmful greenhouse gases in the process.

The plant is expected to produce up to 2.5MW of electricity and heat from a combination of potato waste produced at the Fenmarc site and other locally sourced food waste, which currently goes to landfill. Local Generation intends to sell both the power and heat to local homes and businesses, including Fenmarc. In addition to these outputs, the plant will produce up to 12,000 tonnes a year of high quality soil conditioner suitable for improving local Fenland soils.  The plant will create some 10 to 15 new jobs once operational and is the largest plant planned in the region.

The project will generate sufficient electricity to supply 1,500 homes, or approximately 6% of the total demand for March, including that from industry and commerce. By so doing Local Generation will help Fenland play a big part in meeting the UK target of 10% of power generated from renewable sources by 2010 and the EU target of 20% of all energy from renewables by 2020. A modern plant such as this can capture over 80% of the energy content of its fuel.

Mark Harrod, Chairman of Lifecrown said “The success of our group companies in Fenland for 40 years has been founded on the strategic location and the skills and work ethic of the local workforce.  In making this further substantial investment I am confident that these factors will, once again, get us off to a flying start. This project addresses two of today’s most pressing problems; climate change and food waste management. By treating energy as a precious resource we can maximise value for all concerned.”

Monsal offer a complete turnkey service from consultation, planning, design, permitting with subsequent technology delivery once planning permission and permits are in place.

On receipt of planning approval for the March plant on 17^th September, Local Generation director Nick Waterman said “We are delighted that Local Generation Limited has today been granted planning permission for its AD plant at Westry, March.

We are very excited at the prospect of contributing positively to the environment by reducing waste to landfill and lowering emissions of harmful greenhouse gases in the process. The UK Government wants businesses like ours to invest and create new jobs in green technologies as well as deliver sustainable solutions and that is exactly what we are going to do.

This is a great day for Local Generation and our team is looking forward to building the plant.  We hope that people in March, Fenland and Cambridgeshire will be very proud to have one of the first AD plants in the UK operating in the region.”

Aidan Cumiskey Monsal’s Managing Director said “This is a great result for Local Generation and Cambridgeshire. Lifecrown are a forward thinking group and the plant will neatly integrate local biowaste recycling with on site renewable energy production and create additional employment in the Cambridgeshire/Peterborough area. Based on our latest technology the plant can treat a large variety of biowaste streams including kitchen and household food waste and convert them to renewable energy. This is our first major success with the food sector and we expect continued uptake as a “greening” of the UK food industry supply chain takes place in the coming years.”

Commenting on the success of the planning process “Planning was achieved in record time for this project. It was the result of our co-operative and very detailed approach to the planning/permitting process. We support biowaste AD projects from concept through financial close and subsequent delivery having the largest specialist team in the UK in this area. We operated as an integrated team working with Local Generation and the regulatory authorities to ensure the project and technology complies with all relevant environmental standards. This avoided abortive work and ensures that the overall solution can be fast tracked into the construction phase with a guaranteed delivery cost.”

The biowaste to energy concept is now being widely applied for the conversion of commercial and household food waste to biogas. The Monsal technology platform is well established and has been operational on large food waste and household kitchen waste treatment and recycling plants for over 10 years on the continent.

Useful links:

The Cambs Times – County council approves Local Generation’s plans for anaerobic digestion plant at Fenmarc

http://www.localgeneration.co.uk

Notes to editors

Technology: The project will use the proven technology of anaerobic digestion to break down organic matter to create biogas, which is very similar to methane gas. This provides the fuel for the generators. The Monsal technology is becoming more widely recognised as the technology of choice by utilities, county councils, food producers, waste processors and recycling companies in the UK for this application. The government announced its support for the technology in the 2007 Waste Strategy for England. The very high organics recovery, renewable energy and thermal efficiency of the Monsal process is achieved by high efficiency pre-separation equipment and state-of-the art Anaerobic Digestion plant and technology.

Monsal. The UK’s leading Advanced Digestion and integrated biogas to energy business. Monsal are a subsidiary of Monsal Holdings Ltd owned by private investors and the Matrix Group. www.Monsal.com

Lifecrown Investments Ltd: A national company, headquartered in March, with a turnover in excess of £100m pa and employing 750 colleagues. Interests include vegetable packing and processing, agriculture, hotels and software development.

A new trade association for the Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas industries was launched last week at the Dairy Event with the ambitious goal of having 1,000 plants in place across the UK by 2015.

Monsal, the UKs leading anaerobic digestion provider, is one of the 10 founding members of the association.

“The aims of the new association will be to promote anaerobic digestion amongst the farming community and to local authorities,” Lord Redesdale, the chief executive of the ADBA said at the launch of the new association.

The ADBA believes that more than 1,000 anaerobic digestion plants will be built in the UK.

The association plans to have secured £1 billion in managed funds to finance anaerobic digestion in the UK by 2010 and Lord Redesdale said the cost of building the required number of plants will be £5 billion.

The industry in the coming years is expected to be employing more than 20,000 people.

“AD is the renewable technology that will do most to fight greenhouse gas emission from fossil fuels and providing good economic returns that are built on proven technology,” Lord Redesdale added.

ADBA Mission statement

The ADBA (Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Association) is focused on the education, development and quality standards associated with all aspects of the anaerobic digestion of waste products and the resulting biogas as a renewable energy resource.

The Association recognises the importance of combining our experience in technology, building products, safety and the efficient use of resources whilst also benefiting from work carried out by others over the years.

Members from all aspects of the waste and renewable communities are welcome to share our aims for the development of anaerobic digestion and biogas.

The ADBA is to develop biogas as one of the UK’s major sources of energy within 10 years.

Looking to the future

ADBA, the trade association for the biogas industries, now represents all those involved in the design and build of the biogas infrastructure of Britain. Biogas will provide a significant percentage of Britain’s gas, easing the problem of energy security and also reducing the fossil fuel content of the gas and electricity grid.

ADBA plans to create the environment in which over 1000 plants are built in Britain. Five billion pounds will need to be raised from the private sector to fund construction. This is expected to create some 20,000 jobs.

The UK’s imminent dependence on imported gas means that gas prices will rise. The significant potential of biogas will lower the overall price of gas and will be a tool in fighting fuel poverty

Dorian Harrison, Technical Director from Monsal who sits on the board on the new Association also commented, “It is essential that we have a UK association that represents our views and ensures the ambitious plans of biogas infrastructure for UK PLC can be delivered in a robust and professional manner in the current economic climate”.

Useful links:

http://www.adbiogas.co.uk

Notes to editors

Technology: Anaerobic Digestion is a proven technology which breaks down organic matter to create biogas, which is very similar to methane gas. This provides the fuel for power generation. The Monsal technology is becoming more widely recognised as the technology of choice by utilities, county councils, food producers, waste processors and recycling companies in the UK for this application. The government announced its support for the technology in the 2007 Waste Strategy for England. The very high organics recovery, renewable energy and thermal efficiency of the Monsal process is achieved by high efficiency pre-separation equipment and state-of-the art Anaerobic Digestion plant and technology.

Monsal. The UK’s leading Advanced Digestion and integrated biogas to energy business. Monsal are a subsidiary of Monsal Holdings Ltd owned by private investors and the Matrix Group. www.Monsal.com