UK turkey producer to build new AD plant

Britain’s largest turkey producer, Bernard Matthews, is set to build a large anaerobic digester on its factory site at Holton, Suffolk in an effort to reuse waste to produce renewable energy to power the site.

The AD plant will connect directly to the factory’s existing effluent treatment system, converting 28,000t of liquid waste each year into methane gas. Electricity will be generated by burning the gas, and will supply 13% of the factory’s power, while heat recovered from the exhaust and cooling system will supply 10% of the heat required to warm the factory’s water.

“This is an important development for Bernard Matthews and the local community,” said Rob Mears, UK managing director of Bernard Matthews. “It will not only reduce our carbon footprint and help create a sustainable, constant, environmentally-friendly source of power for the factory, but it will also provide significant environmental benefits to the local community and help strengthen our long term competitive position for the site.”

The £4m cost of the project will be met by outside investors with the aim of having the AD facility fully operational by April 2013.

Source: FWi