ENGIE launches consultation on North Yorkshire AD facility

Consultation has been launched on plans to develop an agricultural anaerobic digestion facility on an area of land east of the A162, near Sherburn-in-Elmet in North Yorkshire, England.
ENGIE is proposing the facility which would support the agricultural community through partnerships with local farmers and provide green energy to the wider community, enough for 5,200 homes.
The facility will take biodegradable materials from local farms and turn it into low carbon energy via anaerobic digestion (AD).
It will sit alongside an existing AD plant that already operates at the site and new woodland and hedgerow planting.
As well as creating green power, the approach gives farmers a regular source of income and reduces their carbon footprint, said ENGIE.
It also helps further enhance their soil quality, with a natural fertiliser created as a by-product helping cut down on artificial, carbon intensive fertiliser.
The ENGIE team has launched a community consultation on their proposals, with a drop-in event to be held on 17 October 2024 between 2:30 and 6:30pm at the Lady Popplewell Centre in Sherburn-in-Elmet.
It will be a chance for people to meet the team, find out more about the company and AD, as well as to provide feedback, according to the organisation.
Wherever possible, the plans will take on board local feedback before a planning application is submitted to North Yorkshire Council for consideration.
Rob McKeon, head of business development UK for Renewable Gases at ENGIE, said: “ENGIE is a major player in the UK’s energy transition and has committed billions of pounds of investment to make the transition a reality. As part of that, anaerobic digestion is a tried and tested method for generating renewable energy from organic and naturally biodegradable materials.
"This proposed facility will sit alongside the existing agricultural AD site which generates renewable electricity for use in the wider community. The proposed facility will complement this and will generate local, renewable gas which will be enough to heat around 5,200 homes.
“We have a strong track record of operating AD plants across the UK and Europe and for being a responsible business in the local communities where we operate. As well as creating new jobs and partnerships with local traders and farmers we will also be supporting local causes with a community benefit fund.”