Speech by Jonathan Shaw MP to Anaerobic Digestion Stakeholder Workshop, Exeter University - Tuesday, 4 September 2007
The Government is committed to support the growth anaerobic digestion. It is an excellent practical example of how we can achieve our goal of One Planet Living - in other words living within the earth’s means - with the potential to contribute to number of our top priorities. It produces renewable energy from waste in the form of biogas, at the same time as helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and the treated material can be used as a fertiliser. It’s a win-win technology.
In advance of this workshop we sent you copies of our Anaerobic Digestion Working Paper, which brings together our current work on AD and what we’ve committed to in the UK Biomass Strategy, Waste Strategy for England and the Energy White Paper - all published in May this year. Our ultimate goal is see far greater use of AD by local authorities, businesses and farmers. To achieve this we know we need to stimulate the markets for AD and its products, and address the administrative and technical challenges. But we cannot do this without full engagement by stakeholders. That is why we have invited you here.
The workshop is structured around key challenges for growing anaerobic digestion sector which many of you here raised with us. We want to draw upon your expertise to identify how we meet these. This is our opportunity to help set the agenda for future work. The outcomes from today will also feed into a high-level conference on “farming for the future”, which Hilary Benn is hosting later this year.
On energy, we face two long term challenges:
- tackling climate change; and
- ensuring secure, clean and affordable energy.
The Energy White Paper sets out the Government’s strategy to meet these challenges. By 2020 this will reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 25 to 31 percent below 1990 levels. Increasing the supply of energy from renewable sources, such as anaerobic digestion, is central both to achieving these reductions and to strengthening energy security.
The Renewables Obligation is our main support mechanism for renewables. We estimate it will deliver savings of 2.5 million tonnes of carbon a year in 2010. The proposed “banding” reforms of the Obligation, on which we are currently consulting, should allow us to triple the electricity generation from renewable sources by 2015, increasing renewables to around 15 percent of our electricity supplies.
Under these proposals AD is among the technologies that would receive additional support in the form of two Renewable Obligation Certificates per mega watt hour. This would significantly improve the economic framework for investment in anaerobic digestion. But it may not be the only measure needed to secure our aims. We want to explore with you today what more needs to needs to be done to increase the number of economically viable AD plants.
Turning to agriculture, Defra’s vision for English farming in 2020 is of a sector which:
- is profitable in the marketplace;
- makes a positive net environmental contribution; and
- manages the landscape and natural resources sustainably.
- Anaerobic digestion can contribute to this vision in by:
- reducing methane emissions – for which agriculture accounts for 37% of the UK’s total;
- producing renewable energy;
- improving air and water quality; and
- offering an opportunity for farmers to diversify income.
The consultation on the implementation of the Nitrates Directive in England, which was published a couple of weeks ago, set out how we propose to promote the uptake of innovative manure management technologies, including anaerobic digestion. These technologies will, in part, be supported by the £98 million dedicated to the livestock sector, under Axis 1 of the draft Rural Development Programme for England for 2007 to 2013.
The Nitrates Directive consultation document also announced that we will explore the possibility of simplifying the process for obtaining planning permission for the construction of new manure storage facilities and management technologies, such as AD plants. Obtaining planning permission – and in particular the lack of understanding about AD among planners and the public - is a key challenges that stakeholders have raised with us. This is an issue I am glad to see you will explore later today.
The challenge in the area of waste management is that each year England generates about 100 million tonnes of waste. Most is sent to landfill where biodegradable waste generates 40% of the UK’s methane, around 3% of total UK greenhouse gas emissions. The Waste Strategy set the following simple objectives:
- less waste,
- more re-use and recycling,
- more energy from waste and
- less landfill.
The measures in the Strategy will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from waste by at least 9.3 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent a year.
This includes encouraging local authorities and businesses to give greater consideration to anaerobic digestion. I am therefore pleased that Mark Foxall from South Shropshire District Council is here today to share his experiences of the AD plant at Ludlow, which we are supporting through our New Technologies Programme.
Many of you have told us that the classification of the digestate as a waste is a barrier to its use as a fertiliser, and to the uptake of anaerobic digestion in general. Nina Sweet from the Waste and Resources Action Programme is here today to report on WRAP’s work to develop a standard for digestate. This will provide greater certainty on when this material has been “fully recovered” and has ceased to be waste for the purposes of the Waste Framework Directive. I know she is keen to hear your views on how we can successfully develop this standard and with it, help build the market for digestate.
The UK is also taking a leading role in promoting the role of anaerobic digestion internationally. An important vehicle for this is the G8 inspired international Methane to Markets Partnership. Some of you here today contributed to the high level workshop of international experts which we hosted in Berkshire with the Partnership last November. This was attended by over 60 delegates from 12 countries. Its findings are informing the development of policy in the UK as well as providing useful information for our partners overseas. It was followed by an experts’ workshop in Argentina in which the UK was also actively involved. Today’s conclusions will also feed into the Methane to Markets Partnership Forum and Expo in Beijing on 30 October to 1 November – an international forum for promoting project opportunities and technologies for methane recovery and use.
We are constantly looking to learn from the experience of other countries. I am pleased that representatives of two important international initiatives are speaking here today, namely the EU Biogas Project and the International Energy Agency’s “Bioenergy Task 37”.
We need to work together to draw on lessons learned from your experiences, and to identify and deliver solutions to the challenges I have outlined, in order to achieve the full potential of AD. That is why I am pleased that we have the Renewable Energy Association, the Waste and Resources Action Programme, the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research and the Country Land and Business Association as our partners in organising this event. I should like to thank them all for their help.
I hope you have a very fruitful day, and I look forward to hearing about – and seeing – the outcomes.
Page last modified: 21 September 2007
Page published:
21 September 2007