For the roll-out of their biogas projects throughout the United Kingdom, agricultural and industrial operators rely on the long-standing experience of WELTEC BIOPOWER (UK) Ltd. No wonder: WELTEC is one of the pioneers in the field of AD plant building in the British Isles.
The first two WELTEC plants in the United Kingdom, which were established in 2006, were among the first 15 biogas plants of the entire plant population. In recognition of their innovative overall concept, several WELTEC projects have already won renowned UK awards. The awards underline the fact that on the UK biogas market, WELTEC BIOPOWER (UK) Ltd. sets technological standards. The excellent reputation of the premium plants is based especially on the great experience in the field of waste plants, for which WELTEC supplies everything needed ‒ from the substrate processing to the input system to all other components ‒ from one source.
In the next months, two new WELTEC plants will go live in the UK: In Londonderry, Northern Ireland, the 500-kW AD plant of the Foyle Food Group will commence operations. The industrial meat processing company will feed the 3000-m³ stainless-steel digesters entirely with waste from its own abattoirs in the vicinity, primarily with stomach contents and flotation fat. On site, WELTEC has integrated a hygienisation unit, a 530-m³ digestate storage unit and the sturdy MULTIMix input system.
The new agricultural 500-kW plant in Leicester is a biogas plant that makes use of a conventional mix of renewable raw materials. The operator, an agricultural contractor with an own cropping farm, mainly uses maize silage as substrate.
To address the demand in the UK on site, WELTEC has operated a nationwide network of sales partners since 2005. WELTEC is also effectively positioned in the service segment, an aspect that not only WELTEC plant operators benefit from. “Our service offer is independent of the plant manufacturer and expressly targets the entire UK biogas market”, explains Chris Jellet, WELTEC Sales Manager.
The team is prepared for all eventualities: Near the company headquarters in Stoneleigh, Warwickshire, WELTEC maintains a comprehensive warehouse stocked with strategically important wear and spare parts. “In this way, we can assist all operators in the event of an emergency. To us, customer proximity is a key concern”, adds Chris Jellett. Additionally, WELTEC secures the uninterrupted biological fermentation process and thus the economic success of the plants through monitoring by means of its own lab service.
Based on this philosophy, WELTEC BIOPOWER (UK) Ltd. can guarantee a high quality standard throughout the country and is prepared for the growing number of UK biogas plants: Currently, three biomethane refineries and more than 120 AD plants are in operation, with more to come. Of these, 40 percent are agricultural plants, and about 60 percent are industrial or municipal plants that use organic waste.
In 2010, the UK government bundled a package of measures that focus on the generation of biogas from organic waste. Every year, about 100 million tons of organic wastes (20 percent of which are food leftovers) accumulate in the country. The UK is considered Europe’s Number One in terms of biogas potential and belongs to the “202020 Network”. The objective of the countries participating in the network is to increase the share of green energy to 20 percent and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by the year 2020. By then, 100 large and 1,000 smaller plants with a total output of approximately 1,100 MW are to be connected to the grid. From the technological perspective, there is no reason why the achievement of this goal should fail.
