Technica Awarded National Grid’s First UK Biomethane to Grid Entry Facility
Grimsby-based engineering firm to work on Fairfield Bio Energy Plant
After the successful completion of the generic design phase for National Grid’s Bio Methane to Grid (BtG) framework, Grimsby-based engineering firm Technica has been awarded the first bio methane network entry facility construction project for National Grid Gas.
The firm, which invested £60,000 in the design phase, is now in the process of constructing a self-contained metering, pressure reduction and analyser kiosk which will monitor the quality of the bio methane or ‘green gas’ produced by the Fairfield Bio Energy operation in Stockport.
Explains Bryan Creed, technical director at Technica: “The kiosk is designed to ensure that the bio methane gas quality satisfies stringent UK gas network entry requirements. We expect to deliver the completed kiosk by mid-October.”
Located on the site of the former Ashton Road Landfill in Fairfield, Stockport the facility creates renewable bio methane gas using food waste collected from local hotels, restaurants and offices. The Fairfield Bio Energy plant, only the second of its kind in the country, will process over 25,000 tonnes of food waste and produce around 2.6 million cubic metres of ‘green gas’ a year, enough to supply gas to 1,400 homes per annum in the North West.
Continues Bryan: “This purpose-built project will also benefit from the Government’s Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) which incentivises the generation of ‘green gas’ by paying the producer a premium above the wholesale market gas price.”
The gas produced by the Stockport facility will be injected into the local gas network. This is a relatively new concept for the UK, as traditionally the gas would have been used for electricity generation via a combined heat and power (CHP) engine. Gas to grid injection is around 95% efficient whereas CHP is only around 43% efficient.
“We’re proud to be involved in such a high profile project and firmly believe that this, and future bio methane network entry facilities, will make a real difference to energy provisions across the UK.”
