Gwynedd Council appoints BiogenGreenfinch to build AD plant
Gwynedd Council has appointed one of the UK’s leading anaerobic digestion specialists as preferred bidder for the construction of a new green energy plant proposed for Llwyn Isaf in North West Wales.
The anaerobic digestion plant will be designed, built and operated by BiogenGreenfinch, the UK’s leading food waste anaerobic digestion specialists. It is anticipated to process approximately 11,000 tonnes of food waste each year from local homes and businesses; creating renewable electricity for the grid and biofertiliser for use on nearby farmland. The plant will produce enough green electricity to power around 700 houses annually.
Richard Barker, CEO of BiogenGreenfinch said, “We are proud and delighted to have been selected to build what will be the first anaerobic digestion facility in Wales specifically designed to take Local Authority collected food waste. We, together with our funders Iona, look forward to working with Gwynedd Council over the next 15 years to make this project both an environmental and operational success.”
Michael Dunn, Partner, Iona Capital said, “It is really pleasing to have delivered this investment, the first of a series we have planned with BiogenGreenfinch and it is a real pleasure to work with an outstanding management team.”.
Councillor Gareth Roberts, Gwynedd Council’s Senior Portfolio Leader for the Environment said: “This is great news for Gwynedd. The innovative GwyriAD project which will likely be the first AD facility delivered by a Welsh Council, underlines our aim of finding creative and green solutions to deal with our waste.
“Residents throughout Gwynedd have shown their commitment to recycling, re-using and composting more of their waste. This exciting project will ensure that Gwynedd’s food waste – which will be collected on a weekly basis in communities across Gwynedd – can be treated in a more efficient way within the county.”
The food waste will be collected from local homes and businesses via a collection scheme run by Gwynedd Council to be fully rolled out by Spring 2012.
The project will replace the existing landfill site currently situated in Llwyn Isaf and will play a major part in helping Gwynedd Council meet its statutory recycling targets.
BiogenGreenfinch will work closely with the local community to keep them up to date on the project’s progress.