Future Biogas announce green energy partnership with RAF Marham

Future Biogas has announced that an anaerobic digestion plant is to be built and ran by the company to power over 95% of the RAF Marham military base in Norfolk.

The green energy partnership signals the UK military’s transition away from using fossil fuels as the Norfolk AD plant will be one of the first to power a military base. The plant will be fuelled by locally grown crops.

The plant, Redstow Renewables, will be generating 4.5MW of electricity an hour that can power 350,000 LED bulbs. Its energy supply to RAF Maraham will lead to a reduction of 14,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide for the Ministry of Defence and will also result in around £300,000 worth of annual electricity savings.   

Minister for Defence People & Veterans Tobias Ellwood MP said, “RAF Marham is leading the way as Britain’s first green military airbase. The biogas fuel is a truly green and sustainable solution, helping us tackle climate change, support the local economy and save taxpayer money.  I hope that this plant can act as a model and we can see more sustainable energy schemes rolled out across other military bases.”

“It’s fantastic to see the UK military join the green revolution. If we are to combat the imminent global threat of climate change, everyone, from all walks of life, needs to transition to renewable, sustainable energy as quickly as possible,” said founder and managing director of Future Biogas, Philipp Lukas.  

Lukas continued, “The AD plant in Swaffham now powers a significant local institution. In doing so, it not only helps secure the energy supply of a strategic national asset, but also takes the pressure off the local electrical infrastructure, which has been really struggling to keep up with growing regional demand. The huge success of this project leads us to hope the door will now open to more of a similar nature. Renewable energy projects that support the local circular economy have to become commonplace if we are to continue to see clean growth in the UK.”

Future Biogas state that the plans for this green energy venture began development in February of 2015. The Defence Infrastructure Organisation has worked with Future Biogas, EDF and Crown Commercial Services to develop a sustainable and cost-effective electricity supply for RAF Marham.