Scotland’s anaerobic digestion industry grows by nearly seventy per cent in a year

Scotland’s anaerobic digestion (AD) industry has grown by nearly seventy per cent in the last year, according to new figures.

There are now twenty seven anaerobic digestion projects – which turns rotting food and farm waste into electricity – operational in Scotland, an increase of 69 per cent from 12 months ago.

A further 43 have planning approval, with the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association forecasting that the sector could grow by 200 per cent in the next two years.

RELATED CONTENT

Winter death figures prompt call for action on energy efficiency

Scottish steel task force meets

Stephanie Clark, policy manager at Scottish Renewables, said: “These new ADBA figures show that AD is being taken extremely seriously by Scottish businesses.

“Increasingly, waste has value. The AD process recognises that, and turns things we don’t want, like food waste and farmyard slurry, into something we desperately need – clean, affordable electricity.”

Charlotte Morton, Chief Executive of ADBA, said: “With a commitment from government to support the technology to scale – a commitment which currently does not exist – AD can deliver baseload energy that is cheaper than new nuclear by the time Hinkley Point C is built, and that can help decarbonise UK heat, farming and transport.”

The AD process involves farm slurry, vegetable peelings, paper and other organic material decomposing inside a closed chamber to produce gas, which is then used to generate electricity.

The amount of food thrown away in Scotland each year has fallen by 8 per cent since 2009, while less than half of Scotland’s household waste was sent to landfill in 2014.