Construction begins on Dorset facility to turn food waste into energy
The anaerobic digestion plant at Parley will cost £15.6 million
Work has started on building a £15.6 million anaerobic digestion (AD) plant in Dorset, to convert food waste and other organic material into renewable energy and bio-fertiliser.
Eco Sustainable Solutions is creating the site at Parley near Christchurch - it's their second and largest AD facility, after another in Piddlehinton near Dorchester.
The new plant will take in leftover food and peelings and turn them into green gas, which will be supplied directly into grid.
Some of the energy will be used to power the company's fleet of trucks, which will transport waste to and from the facility, as they're converted from running on diesel to green gas.
The Parley AD facility will be capable of handling over 50,000 tonnes of food waste annually, producing around 60GWhs (Gigawatt hours) of biomethane, equivalent to the energy needs of 5,300 medium-sized homes.
The new plant is expected to be fully operational by January 2026 and will create five new jobs.
Andy Moore, Eco’s Financial Director, said:
“We are incredibly grateful to Lombard for their support, including guiding us through a complex process over many months.
“What was particularly impressive was that they were able to leverage the right people within the bank at the right time, making the transaction smooth and hassle-free for us.”
Eco’s existing AD facility at Piddlehinton has already prevented over 240,000 tonnes of carbon emissions and generated 91,000 MWhs (Megawatt hours) in full green electricity.
Eco recycles over 230,000 tonnes a year of organic waste from Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire into green energy and high-quality landscape products.