Green Light For A Tenth Gas-To-Grid Plant In The United Kingdom
Agraferm Technologies receives three new orders for biogas plants in England
The internationally active Agraferm Technologies AG continues to expand its leading market position in England. In addition to their exceptionally reliable technology and high energy yield, their swift planning and realisation of plants have contributed greatly to the German company’s success on the island.
The Metheringham Project involves building the tenth biomethane plant in England. Methwold and Crowland are biogas plants which operate using a flexible substrate mix. In addition to gas production, they will also produce electricity using CHP technology.
Near Lincoln, in Metheringham, a new gas-to-grid biomethane plant is being built. The plant will consist of just one digestor and post digestor yielding 400 Nm3/h biomethane and 500 kWel. For the plant builder Agraferm, it will be one of its smaller plants. “Plants in this performance class normally require three to four tanks but thanks to our high-load fermentation, Agraferm plants require substantially less tank volume,” explains Chief Technology Officer at Agraferm, Heinrich Schulze Herking. Particularly with large gas-to-grid plants, however, the operators appreciate the advantage of a small environmental footprint, which is why Agraferm is now constructing its tenth biomethane plant in the UK.
Individualised concepts win British operators over
The second project recently entrusted to Agraferm is at Decoy Farm in Crowland adjacent to the compost facility which is run by Material Change Ltd. The digestor and post digestor are loaded directly with a combination of energy crops and refuse. This downstream CHP plant produces 2.8 MWel. The construction and operation of the AD Plant at Decoy is being managed by an affiliate of Material Change.
The third project is also based on an individually drafted concept with a flexible substrate mix. Future Biogas Ltd. has entrusted Agraferm with another biogas plant in Methwold. Of the 50,000 tons of the raw material that will be used at the plant, more than half will come from pig dung rather than from energy crops. This is made possible by upstream milling, two digestors and one post digestor. The Methwold plant will produce biomethane at a rate of 400 Nm3/h as well as power the 500 kW CHP plant.
Philipp Lukas, Managing Director of Future Biogas and board member of the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA), supports the decision for commissioning Agraferm: “We appreciate that Agraferm has been a strong, punctual and reliable partner and the performance of our existing plants has encouraged us to work with Agraferm technology again. The timetable for this project is demanding, but we are convinced that the cooperation will enable us to cope with this challenge.”
With these three new plants, which will all be completed in 2015, the Agraferm Group presence will increase to 20 biogas plants in the UK providing a raw biogas volume of approximately 200 million cubic metres every year.
About Agraferm Technologies AG
Agraferm Technologies AG, with headquarters in Pfaffenhofen, Germany, designs and builds biogas and biomethane plants. Internationally, it is among the few full-service suppliers of agricultural and industrially-designed biogas plants. Alongside project planning and construction, its range of services also includes technical and biological servicing for its own and other companies’ plants.
Part of Agraferm group is BTA International GmbH, specialist for wet mechanical treatment and fermentation of different types of waste. Altogether the Agraferm Group can utilise almost all raw materials that contain organic components and has more than 100 references in 20 countries around the world.
