The UK Green Investment Bank plc (GIB) has announced plans to provide funding for two anaerobic digestion plants on farms in Northern Ireland, with several other AD projects thought to be in the pipeline in the region.
The projects, in Cookstown, County Tyrone and Banbridge, County Down, will be used by local livestock farmers and have been developed alongside their advisors, KPMG, working with the GIB’s fund manager, Foresight and PAR Renewables, a consortium of three farming enterprises.
Shaun Kingsbury, GIB chief executive, said: “This is a textbook example of the types of project we should be seeing all across the UK.
“It’s economically important, injecting £6.5m into the rural economy in Northern Ireland and generating 22 new jobs. It’s green, turning farm waste into renewable energy and fertiliser. And it’s good for the local farming community, earning and saving them money.”
PAR Renewables spokesman, Rodney Sloan said: “We took the decision to develop an on-farm anaerobic digestion plant over three years ago, pooling the resources across our three farm enterprises.
“While we received planning permission nearly two years ago, the lack of suitable funding in the market has delayed the project’s development and we are therefore delighted to have worked with the GIB, Foresight, KPMG and Williams Industrial Services to secure a funding package tailored specifically to our project’s requirements.”
The feedstock for the plants will include farm waste from the surrounding farms and the digestate by-product will be used by them as a biofertiliser for their crops.
When completed, the two projects are expected to generate enough renewable energy to power 1700 households for a year. The reduction in greenhouse gas production from the projects will be equivalent to taking 2000 cars off the road for a year.
UK resources management minister Dan Rogerson said: “I am delighted that the Green Investment Bank has invested in these two excellent projects. “Anaerobic digestion is the unsung hero of the renewables industry; it diverts waste from landfill and generates clean, renewable energy.
“Given the technology’s flexibility it’s also a great way for farmers to secure additional income from manures and slurries alongside food waste.”