Anaerobic Digestion Plants UK (AD Plants UK or Anaerobic Digesters UK)

The number of anaerobic digestion plants in the UK, (anaerobic digestion plants UK) has been growing since the current UK interest in building these facilities began at the start of this century.

Now in the summer of 2021, there are 685 operational AD Plants (including sludge digesters at Wastewater Treatment Plants) according to ADBA.

Most UK AD plants have been commissioned since 2013 when the number of Anaerobic Digestion Plants in the UK hit 100 for the first time.

That was seen as a big achievement and was reported extensively in the trade press as being a turning point.

The point at which 100 UK operational biogas plants was reached was seen as a milestone. It indicated that a fledgling UK biogas industry had become established.

The best period for growth in the capacity of UK AD plants occurred in the period 2013 to 2017. Since 2017 the industry has seen a slowdown.

However, it is thought that the period 2021 to 2022 will see this trend reversed.

rom a Clearfleau AD video and is included in compliance with the CC0 licence provided with their YouTube/Vimeo published video.

Scroll down further on this page because we also provide historic lists of the early biogas plants as a snapshot of the early days of Anaerobic Digestion plant operation in the UK.

Back in 2016 things were going well for anaerobic digestion in the UK. The following is our article as updated in 2016:

The Number of Anaerobic Digestion Plants Operating in the UK in 2016?

Currently (Autumn 2017) the latest WRAP update is 254 anaerobic digestion plants (March 2016), but that figure for operational anaerobic digesters in the UK, is now over a year out of date.

During 2016 there was reported to have been a surge in anaerobic digestion plant construction. Existing UK government subsidy approvals would have been lost if a number of these plants had not been completed before the UK ROCS subsidy was discontinued.

The Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA) reported that 100 biogas plants were built in 2016. If that rate of completion of anaerobic digestion plants (in the  UK) had been maintained an additional 150 plants would have been completed. Not only completed but also commissioned in the intervening period to the end of September 2017.

Looking at the arithmetic: 254, plus 150 only accounts for about 400 anaerobic digestion plants UK-wide, so there may be some ADBA-listed plants that have ceased to operate. Making that an underestimate of the actual plant numbers completed in the period.

However, the ADBA anaerobic digesters UK list must be considered the most authoritative source.

The list is maintained by the UK association which represents the biogas plant operators themselves.

How many ad plants are there in the UK?

On the basis of their data, the UK has now broken the 500 AD plant mark now, so the answer to the question: “How many ad plants are there in the UK” is:

1. There are now 640 recorded active anaerobic digestion plants in the UK (October 2018).
2. One year ago there were 540 (September 2017) [See our blog post about this here.]
3. The number of recorded UK AD plants in the available lists has doubled since early 2016
4. The listed number has only risen by 38 over the last year. This suggests that the UK AD industry output has fallen in the last 12 months since subsidy reductions.

The fall in UK AD plant growth in 2017 was disappointing.

However, the future growth rate for anaerobic digestion plants in the UK is now thought to be recovering. One reason for this is that the UK government has made a recent announcement on a future subsidy. This is intended to help the industry. It will be part of the Department for Transport's (DfT's) response to its consultation on the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) as we have previously reported in our weekly newsletter.

How did the country get to the point of having over 600 UK anaerobic digestion plants?

Scroll down further and you will see our historic information on UK biogas plant numbers over the last decade.

Municipal, Commercial, and Farm-Based AD Plant Number Reaches 100 – in 2013

The following is our version of the list which appeared in 2013, on the Biogas Info website maps page, when the number of UK plants had just risen to a magic 100 for the first time!

List of the First 100 Anaerobic Digestion Plants in the UK

Anaerobic Digestion Plants UK – Plants in January 2011

The following may not be on the list of 100 above, or are featured for their interesting features:

AD Plants UK (in England and Wales)

The following may not be on the list of the first 100 AD Plants above, and are included for their historic interest:

1. Wanlip Leicester as part of a Biffa MRF. Operated by Severn Trent.
   Water (BIFFA). Accepts biodegradable Municipal Waste. 1.5 MW potential power output. Operational large-scale plant Approx. 35,000 tpa.
2. Woking Council, Surrey – Preliminary pre-contract discussions.
3. South Shropshire Council, DEFRA Waste Technologies Demonstrator Project. This partly DEFRA-funded Waste TechnologyDemonstrator Plant, in Ludlow, Shropshire has been mothballed.
4. Longstock, Hampshire – The technology provider is Bioplex Ltd. Feedstock is agricultural residues and animal waste slurries. The throughput is about 1,500 tpa.
5. Milton Ernest, Bedfordshire – Bioge technology plant operated by Bedfordia Farms Ltd. Accepts Food waste (ABP 2+3) Operational plant with a reported throughput of 42,000 tpa
6. Rushden (Westwood), Northamptonshire CC, Biogen Food waste1.5 MW, Under development 41,000 tpa
7. Wareham, Dorset – In-vessel composting Operator SITA. Feed will be Bio-waste. this plant is under development
8. South East London – Operator would be Veolia – Food waste. thought to be at the feasibility study stage.
9. Doncaster, South Yorkshire –  Initial stages.
10. Honiton – Otter Rotters Ltd
11. Elgin – Integrated Bio-Gen Ltd – early stages
12. Bank Farm – Operated by Clive Pugh (Private  Ind.) 790 m3 Operational plant
13. Eye Airfield, Eye, Suffolk – 1.05 MW. Not yet built, but fully consented
14. Dimmer – Wyvern Waste Services Ltd, 3 MW. – Not yet built, but fully consented
15. Lowe Farm – 0.5 MW – Not yet built, but fully consented
16. Longstock, Hampshire – Operator Bioplex Ltd. Technology Bioplex Demo Plant 0.0075 MW. Currently operating
17. Horsington, Somerset – The technology provider was Organic Power and so is Operator. this is a demo plant
18. Cambridge Research Park/ Waterbeach near Cambridge – Operator Summerleaze, and technology also by Summerleaze.
19. Swang Farm, near Bridgwater, Somerset. Operator Tim Roe (MD) Cannington Cold Stores
20. Sandford, Whitchurch, Shropshire; Lower College Poultry Farm
21. Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority, North Manchester plant – Enpure Ltd – Greater Manchester
22. Greater Manchester, Bredbury Parkway; plant by Enpure Ltd -MSW – Under development
23. Leicestershire CC (Estates Dept) – Feasibility study for a central AD Plant
24. Stockport, Manchester – Design by Greenfinch Ltd. Operation to be by Fairfield Ltd.
25. Update October 2008
26. GR Lancashire UR-3R process- 2 plants under construction Leyland and Thornton
27. Biffa/ Clarke, West Sussex, Hasse process, 1 facility at preferred bidder
28. SRM/NEWS    Norfolk CC Contract A  AMBT with Dranco/OWS AD process near Final Closure
29. Oaktech,  Glendale /Falkirk, Arrowbio process 1 facility under construction Thanks to Rob W
30. Coca-Cola's manufacturing facility in Warrington, UK,  incorporates an anaerobic wastewater treatment facility, dating from the early 1990s.
31. BV Dairy Shaftesbury, Dorset will generate more than 75% of the site’s electricity consumption with a new Anaerobic Digestion (AD) system. The high-rate liquid digester has been designed and built by Clearfleau. EnerG is supplying the equipment to convert the biogas into energy.
32. Dalkia is delivering its energy generation and carbon efficiency capabilities to Dairy Crest by designing and installing a biomass energy centre at the Davidstow Creamery in Cornwall.
33. In April 2008 Kemble Farms completed the Smerrill Generating Station.  Located beside the Smerrill Dairy, it produces Electricity and Heat from the cow's slurry and energy crops.
34. As announced on 13 December 2010, TEG  was developing a new anaerobic digestion (“AD”) and in-vessel composting  (“IVC”) plant in Dagenham, East London, which is expected to be in operation in 2012.  The Mixed Waste was planned to be processed at the Dagenham plant from 2012.

We hope this information about the anaerobic digestion plants UK-wide, was useful to you. Please give us your feedback in the comments box below.