Three new biomethane production plants remain on track to start sending low-carbon ‘gas from trash’ into Cadent’s network this year, as our teams kept the wheels in motion during lockdown.
Increasing the use of biomethane – using food, farm, human and other wastes as feedstocks to produce grid quality gas – is widely-recognised as a key stage in Britain’s journey to net zero.
Cadent today has 35 production plants connected into our network, supplying enough gas to meet demand from up to 243,000 homes. That's more than enough to meet the household heat demand, for example, from a city the size of Manchester.
Bio-CNG is also rapidly becoming the fuel of choice for HGV fleets operated by some of the UK’s biggest hauliers and retailers. By using it, they’re helping to massively cut carbon and other harmful emissions, as well as costs.
Biomethane production
We’ve maintained our support to Severn Trent Water as it looks to commission two new production facilities later this year. One is at its waste treatment sites in Finham on the outskirts of Coventry and the other is at Stoke Bardolph in Nottinghamshire.
We’re also assisting the developers behind a third new site, which plans to use crops and animal waste as feedstock to power the gas production process.
Adapting to the challenges presented by coronavirus, we’ve been able to use digital technology to keep in close virtual contact with the teams seeking to make these three sites happen, which has ensured crucial stages in the journey to commissioning have kept to timetable.
Bio-CNG fuelling stations
Plans also remain on track to open a new bio-CNG fuelling station at our national distribution centre in Birmingham (pictured) and another station in Knowsley, Merseyside. We’ve held important planning meetings with CNG Fuels, who will operate both sites, and other stakeholders.
Tina Hawke, Connections Manager, Cadent, said: “Alongside hydrogen, biomethane is a critical part of the pathway to Britain achieving net zero.
"While we don’t produce these gases, it’s our job to safely distribute them – and to be satisfied that any new facility either bringing it into our network, or taking it out, is doing so in a way that meets the stringent safety conditions we insist on.
“That requires a lot of collaboration and inspection, on site and in meetings. We’ve adapted our ways of working during lockdown to find digital and / or socially distanced ways of doing that.
"It’s testament to the hard work of many people that these important facilities – which represent millions of pounds of investment into a greener future for the UK – remain on track.”