Prince Charles Opens Scotland's Largest Biopower Plant

---

Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland) -- Scotland's largest anaerobic digestion (AD) plant has been officially opened by Britain's Prince Charles.

The plant, located at Barkip near Beith in North Ayrshire, is described as the largest combined organic waste treatment and energy generating facility in Scotland by its owners Scottish and Southern Energy plc (PINK:SSEZY) (SSE) (Perth).

The Barkip plant can process up to 75,000 tonnes of organic waste annually and generate around 2.2 megawatts (MW) of renewable electricity from the biogas produced, enough to power approximately 5,500 homes. The electricity is produced by combusting the methane-rich biogas in gas engines while residual material results in a liquid suitable for use as an agricultural fertiliser. The plant is fuelled by food waste and other organic matter from industries such as agriculture, food production, food retail and alcohol production.

The project cost €27.5 million ($35 million) to construct and will be run by SSE's partner, Zebec Biogas Limited (Glasgow, Scotland).

"'We were delighted to welcome His Royal Highness to the state of the art AD plant at Barkip," said SSE's Director of Thermal Development, Rhys Stanwix. "We want to see the plant continue to play a crucial role in waste reduction. Working with local authorities, large-scale industrial organic waste producers and local businesses and farmers we can make a real difference to waste levels and produce renewable electricity and a quality fertiliser while doing so."

Zero Waste Scotland's Director, Iain Gulland, added: "New Waste (Scotland) Regulations, passed by the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday (9th May), will prohibit biodegradable materials, like food waste, from being sent to landfill by 2021. The regulations will also drive an increase in recycling rates by requiring businesses and councils. to provide separate collections for key recyclable materials, including paper and card, plastic, glass, metals, and in most cases, food waste too. Meeting our target to achieve a 70% recycling rate by 2025 will transform our waste into a stock of resources, and reprocessing these in Scotland can create new business markets and give our economy a boost. Recycling food waste creates green energy and fertiliser, two valuable bi-products."

View Project Report - 300012858

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, and eight offices outside of North America, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.