French energy supplier Engie plans to develop a ‘green’ gas plant in North Yorkshire that will play a role in “reducing reliance on imported natural gas”.
The company has lodged plans with North Yorkshire Council to develop a second agricultural anaerobic digestion facility in Sherburn-in-Elmet, a town in Yorkshire.
The green gas plant will be situated alongside an existing anaerobic digestion facility at Low Farm, to convert agricultural feedstock and waste from local farms into renewable gas and it gas to 5,200 homes.
Engie said the site will provide local farmers with a “regular source of income” and deliver digestate, a by-product of the anaerobic digestion process, to be used as a natural fertiliser.
The submission for planning permission followed a consultation with local communities and stakeholders over the autumn.
Stuart Rennie, managing director of renewable gases UK at Engie, said: “Farm waste in the local area is currently largely spread to land which releases carbon into the atmosphere.
“Our plans would instead see it used to generate a local supply of green gas, which is all part of our national mission to make farming more sustainable and support the UK’s decarbonisation journey.”
The planning application includes technical assessments showing the facility’s low impact on the local area, he added.
Engie said a community benefit fund will also be created to support local jobs and projects.
North Yorkshire Council is expected to make a decision on the plans in early 2025, with construction due to start by the summer if the project is approved.
According to a statement for the first nine months of 2024, Engie’s revenue fell by nearly 14.9% to €52.6 billion, during a period in which its capital expenditure grew 9.8% to £6.9bn.
Engie has 1,200 employees in the UK and Ireland where it focuses on solar power, onshore and offshore wind and green gas from biomethane plants, in addition to the nuclear facilities it operates in Belgium through its subsidiary Electrabel.
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