Project Planning Services
Here you will find information on the planning stages of an anaerobic digestion project. Use the tabs at the top of the page to see planning information specific to England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.
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A typical AD project can be divided into three pl...
A typical AD project can be divided into three planning phases: Design, Build and Operation. The first stage of planning a project is to identify a suitable site and determine what your feedstock will be. Upon choosing a site you need to consider;
– Site layout and space to ensure sufficient space and good access for construction, operation and storage.
– Access for construction, feedstock supplies and maintenance.
– Visual impact; consider topography and natural screening.
– Regulatory requirements; consider distance from buildings and water courses, for environmental permitting.
Planning permission is necessary for most anaerobic digestion installations. Small scale digesters using only on-farm waste may be passed as Permitted Development, but it is recommended you speak to your local authority in the early stages to confirm this. Any installation accepting third party waste will need full planning permission. There is nothing that can guarantee any planning application is approved, but the following steps lower the risk of a refusal and save time and money by avoiding resubmissions and planning appeals.
- Initiate a pre-application enquiry with your local minerals and waste development control team at an early stage in your feasibility process. You can find your minerals and waste development control team through your local council here.
- Inform the local community at an early stage. Many successful AD projects have begun their consultation before formal plans have been submitted – this minimises the risk of misinformation being circulated.. See below for more information on communicating with the general public.
- Prepare for a possible Environmental Impact Assessment ( EIA). This is a must if your proposal is large (accepting over 50,000 tonnes waste per year) or in a sensitive location e.g. Conservation area, Green Belt, close proximity to residential development. However, many councils are adopting a precautionary approach and requesting EIAs for installations well under the 50,000 tonne threshold.
- When submitting a plan, it can be helpful to refer to Planning Policy Statements, which state the Government's principles towards certain aspects of planning. Two particularly relevant documents are Planning Policy Statement 22: Renewable Energyand Planning Policy Statement 7: Sustainable Development in Rural Areas. Planning Policy Statement 22 states that a planning application for an anaerobic digestion plant could usefully include the following:
- site plan and elevation drawings to help determine visual impact
- photomontage of digester, plant building(s) and chimney stack with clear indication of building material
- information on grid connection works, including transformer and transmission lines
- details of emissions to air and an assessment of their impact
- details of vehicular access and vehicular movement
- landscaping provisions
- site management measures during the construction phase
- model of emissions dispersion
- community consultation plans
Community acceptance
It is important to communicate and engage with the local population from an early stage in development to ensure they fully understand the proposals, process and terminology. Surveys have shown people are generally positive about renewable energy. However, this doesn't necessarily translate into support for a local AD project. Common issues with the planning process in general include;
- Trust. There is often a lack of trust in developers: this can be overcome through a carefully structured consultation process.
- Fairness. The planning process may be viewed as unfair: making neighbours and parish/town councils aware of your ideas before plans are submitted can help build trust.
- Local benefits. There can be a perception that benefits to the local community are overstated: the proposals need to be carefully explained.
- Meaningful engagement. Developers may be perceived as unwilling to communicate or listen to local concerns: consultation, if properly structured, can help allay community concerns.
- Understanding. There is still a general lack of understanding of AD amongst the public, although it is easy to access information which can sometimes be misleading or misinterpreted.
Limited understanding of AD can lead to negative perceptions causing subjective barriers. Specific concerns expressed about AD plants include;
- Alternative site evaluation
- Odour control
- Traffic generation
- Landscape impact
- Noise
- Health and safety
- Security
- Lighting
The best way to deal with these issues is to be proactive. Persistence in explaining the advantages of AD backed with good information can help with progressing throughout the planning system.
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) produced a report on the challenges of perception and planning including a case study of a planning application for a centralised AD plant. This case study of Merevale and Blyth Estates Biomass plant, produced as part of the Beyond Nimbyism project, covers the general planning issues such as trust and engagement mentioned above.
Detailed designs are required before submitting a planning application, and outline feedstock agreements may also be necessary. A useful indicative list of the documents that may be required to develop an AD project are available here. Other considerations at this stage include ownership, and power or gas offtake options, as follows.
Ownership
If you have the capital it is possible to own an anaerobic digestion plant outright. Alternatively, you may be interested in leasing. A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for a user to pay an owner for the use of an asset, such as an anaerobic digester. A lease can allow you to install and operate a new anaerobic digester, without having to pay an upfront cost. A useful chart showing how a lease may work for an anaerobic digestion plant is available here.
There are a number of funding options available depending on ownership and project structure, see the Financing page for more detail.
ROO-FIT Accreditation
All anaerobic digestion electricity generation installations looking to apply for the Feed-in Tariff will need to apply to OFGEM for ROO-FIT accreditation. Upon completion of the OFGEM accreditation process, applicants will then need to contact a FIT Licensee with their accreditation details. A list of FIT Licensee's can be found on the OFGEM website.
More information on applying for the FITs scheme is available on the OFGEM wesbite.
Power Purchase Agreement
If you plan to export electricity produced by an anaerobic digester to the national grid you will need a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). A PPA is a legal contract between an electricity generator and an electricity supplier, typically a utility company. It sets down the conditions and pricing that will govern the supplier's purchase of electricity from the generator.
Lenders such as banks will expect a developer to agree a PPA for at least the same term as they agreed for their loans.
Grid Connection - Electricity
A generator producing electricity from a biogas plant can be connected to a transmission network, distribution system or even to the wires owned by the end customer. Whether it is appropriate to connect at transmission or distribution voltages will be determined primarily by the size of the generation.
A Distribution Network Operator (DNO) owns the wires in the national grid and are the party you will need to deal with regarding your physical connection. They do not buy or sell electricity. You will need to agree with your DNO a connection contract, which will set out the obligations on you and the DNO and the charges to be paid for any DNO network alterations that are needed. You will also need to agree a Distribution Use of System (DUoS) contract, this entitles you to use the distribution network for the import and export of electricity. If you are getting part of the connection works done by an Independent Connections Provider (ICP) rather than the DNO, then you will have a direct agreement with the ICP for this work.
The Renewable Energy Association and Masstock Farm Consultancy have produce a useful guide to Connecting Anaerobic Digestion Generators to Distribution Networks in Great Britain. You can identify your DNO and find their contact details here.
Grid Connection - Gas
If you are considering upgrading biogas to biomethane and injecting into the national gas grid you initially need to identify your Gas Distribution Network (GDN) operator and place an enquiry for initial feedback – a GDN map is available here. If the initial feedback suggests this may be possible, a capacity study should be commissioned from the GDN which will confirm the distance, cost and capacity of the most suitable connection. A full design study and Network Entry Agreement (NEA) would then need to be drawn up prior to connecting.
Permitting Consent
For more information on the permits governing the operation of an anaerobic digestion plant and the use of biogas or digestate visit our regulations page.
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