It has been a roller coaster year since we bought the Anaerobic Digestion plant in Consett.
Whilst we knew that the AD plant had underperformed sorting out legacy issues, overhauling just about every component and scratching around for feedstock, has been harder that we ever expected.
We took the decision early, that we needed to secure our own source of Feedstock. Off the back of this was contracted 600 acres of land for the Rye Hybrid feedstock and managed every stage of the farming processed, from agronomy, land preparation, growing, feeding and harvesting. Whilst the plant was originally build to operate on high gas volume, low retention time feedstock, such as Maize. With the use of enzymes and increased retention time of the feedstock through the heating of the storage tank, this has enabled us to move to a more locally sourced feedstock.
Big day today though, with the start of the Rye Hybrid feedstock harvest and filling the clamps for the first time. Let’s hope the calculated risk and hard work pays off.
