UTS nets first UK biogas contract
7 Sep 2010
Glenfarg, UK – UTS Biogas Ltd, part of UTS Biogastechnik GmbH, has received its first major construction contract for an anaerobic digestion (AD) plant in the UK. The 700 kW biogas plant located in Glenfarg, Scotland will convert 16,000 tonnes per year of food waste into electrical energy and heat.
This is the first project realised jointly by UTS and TEG Group – a provider of in-vessel composting (IVC) plants – in a partnership for the UK biogas market, with particular focus on organic waste treatment. The partnership grants TEG exclusive access to UTS technology for this specific market.
The combination of both IVC and AD for the treatment of organic wastes offers plant operators increased flexibility in receiving mixed waste streams and higher efficiency in operation with parallel and combined processes, said UTS.
These advantages, said the biogas company, will be demonstrated at the site in Glenfarg, where TEG has operated its IVC plant since 2002, currently receiving 38,000 tonnes per year of co-mingled waste.
The new biogas plant to be built alongside the existing IVC plant is expected to generate approximately 700 kW of electricity and 250 kW of available heat to other users.
TEG has agreed terms with the landlord, Binn Farm Ltd to supply the heat to a new concept Binn Eco Park development. The plant was financed by Albion Ventures LLP, supported by capital funding from Zero Waste Scotland.
“This combined IVC/AD plant will become a showcase for further organic waste projects,” said Mick Fishwick, chief executive of TEG. “We expect this to be the first of many TEG-UTS AD plants constructed in the UK.”
The Glenfarg biogas plant should become operational in the 1st quarter of 2011, according to Rob Heap, general manager of UTS. TEG/UTS, he said, will then have a biogas reference treating 100% organic waste in the UK, demonstrating the robustness and flexibility of the UTS technology in this particular application.
“While important to the UK market, this project further increases the international exposure of UTS, where the treatment of organic wastes play a much more dominant role compared to energy crops,” Heap concluded.
UTS Biogastechnik claims to be among the world’s leading biogas companies, with more than 1,500 equipped biogas plants. The group provides services in the planning, construction,
delivery and installation of biogas plants and components, and operates production facilities. It also develops and sells specialized mixers, pumps and a variety of solid/liquid separating devices related to the biogas and agro/food markets.
The company is headquartered near Munich, Germany with subsidiaries in different parts of Germany as well as in Italy, Hungary, Spain and also in the UK and Ireland.
