GREEN gas will play a critical role in helping the government deliver energy, climate and economic security, Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Energy Consumers) at DESNZ told around 300 industry stakeholders a conference in London recently, organised by the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA).
In her address, the Minister said: “This is the most critical decade for the climate transition that we need to make in this country and globally. Achieving clean power is an absolute national mission for this government, and one we are determined to deliver. It will be increasingly important for us that this industry is a whole part of the energy mix as we phase out natural gas.”
Anaerobic digestion (AD) is the natural breakdown of organic matter when deprived of oxygen in a container called digester. The process produces biogas and a residue called digestate – a stable, nutrient-rich substance used as a biofertiliser which restores soil health.
Anaerobic digestion and biomethane can reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and will be ‘transformative’ over the next few years, the Minister said.
Acknowledging the cost-of-living crisis was a consequence of an over-reliance on fossil fuels, placing the UK economy and consumers at the mercy of international markets, she said: “As a government, we are committed to deliver home-grown green power. This is the only way to deliver energy, economic and climate security. Energy today for many is unaffordable and we are not willing to accept that.
She assured delegates the government was listening and would build an ambitious successor to support green gas post GGSS. “We are very, very clear. We cannot do this alone – we have to work with you in partnership. We are open to ideas, willing to overcome challenges and support innovation. I’m optimistic about what I believe we can do together, and I think if we can tap into the huge amount of energy, optimism, creativity and willingness that I can see in this industry, we have very possibly the chance of pulling this off.”
In response to challenges raised by ADBA Chairman Chris Huhne and delegates, the Minister said dialogue would immediately start to address challenges such as the RHI cap, to boost green gas in the grid; FIT planning, to avoid the loss of 2TWh of power; and redesignation of biomethane in the ETS, to recognise it as green gas instead of the same as fossil natural gas.
The Minister said: “We will move faster where we can, we will look to do that.”
At the conference, ADBA launched its latest report, The Role of Green Gas In Net Zero; Cutting the Cost of Keeping the Lights On, developed in association with Business Modelling Applications (BMA). This considered the cost of the transition to Net Zero with green gas. Previous government modelling had omitted green gas. The analysis found that more green gas in the transition to net zero will save £298 billion in the cost of developing the future energy system, equivalent to £415 a year for every British household. ADBA selected to work with BMA as it had previously undertaken energy systems modelling for DESNZ.
Reflecting on the day’s proceedings, ADBA Chair Chris Huhne said: “We all came away optimistic that the new government is going to be addressing the issues that we’ve raised and on a timescale which I think is reflective of the urgency which we all feel is necessary to deal with climate change. Minister Fahnbulleh was tremendously positive about the future of green gas, giving the industry starting orders for a big expansion, so I’m very hopeful that as a result of today we’ll see some good progress. With the right policies in place, we look forward to helping deliver clean power in 2030 and net zero in 2050.”
There are currently 756 AD plants operational in the UK. The entire industry digests approximately 36 million tonnes of organic waste each year – organic material that would otherwise emit greenhouse gases including highly potent methane, if left untreated in landfill.
An estimated 21TWh of biogas is produced each year by the AD industry which is either used to generate electricity and heat via a combined heat and power (CHP) unit or upgraded to biomethane and injected directly into the national gas grid.
