Wales unveils its largest AD plant

A £14m (€16.6m) anaerobic digestion (AD) plant, the largest in Wales, was officially opened by Bridgend AM Carwyn Jones on 2 December, 2016.

Developed by Agrivert, the plant takes food waste from Welsh homes and businesses and converts it into renewable energy.

Located at Parc Stormy near Bridgend, it is the company’s first foothold into Wales and is set to process around 48,000 tonnes of organic waste per year, generating 3MW of electricity – enough to supply over 5,900 homes. The facility also produces bio-fertiliser that can displace fossil fuel derived fertilisers on over 3,000 acres of local farm land.

Mr Jones was among some 50 local dignitaries at the launch, which included a tour of a plant built on a site already known for its pioneering approach to environmentally-friendly production. Once an aerodrome in World War Two, Parc Stormy has since 2007 been transformed from a brownfield site into a cluster of interconnected renewable technologies.

The arrival of Agrivert adds to the mix of green technologies already in place including a wind turbine, a field of solar panels, an eco-house and a plant that converts industrial waste into low-carbon cement. There are plans to add a second wind turbine, a pioneering 10MW Battery Storage project as well as a Hydrogen Refuelling Station.

The new Welsh Agrivert plant already provides food recycling services for local businesses as well as for Ceredigion, Powys and Pembrokeshire Councils. It hopes to attract waste from other local authorities and businesses including food manufacturers and producers and waste collection companies.

‘Increased accessibility’

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Agrivert chief executive Alexander Maddan, said: “We are proud of this AD project and the increased accessibility to our industry-leading food waste recycling services it brings.

“The new plant will offer much needed reliable capacity to local markets and we are pleased that large volumes of waste are already coming in from local sources.  Local plants such as this reduce the cost of waste collection and treatment and should provide an incentive for many businesses to recycle food waste.