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Local views sought on £4million Lancashire 'energy farming' investment

2nd December 2011

The company behind plans to create a £4million ‘energy farming’ power plant in rural Lancashire is inviting local people to have their say on the project.

It has organised a consultation day at Moss House Farm in St Michael’s on Wyre on Wednesday December 7.

If Farmgen, the UK’s leading specialist in ‘energy farming’, gets the go-ahead from planners, the plant will generate enough energy to power more than 1,500 homes.

The development would give a much-needed boost to the rural economy and also play a major part in Farmgen’s £30million UK expansion plan.

The Blackpool-based company already has one flagship plant up and running in Lancashire, with more in the pipeline for the county and across the UK.

Farmgen, Britain’s leading specialist in ‘energy farming’, is now inviting local people to “come and talk” about the proposal at the special Open Day at the proposed site.

The day is an opportunity for people to get all the facts about AD plants – how they work and the benefits they bring to farming communities and the rural economy.

Farmgen’s expert team will be on hand to answer questions and there will be a chance to view the plans in depth.

The open day – which will run in two sessions from 11am-3pm and 5pm-7pm – also gives people the opportunity to learn about how AD plants can turn crops into cash.

Ed Cattigan, Farmgen’s Commercial Director, said: “This is a chance for the local community to see the plans we have for the site and for people to give their views.

“We want people to get all the facts. We have carried out similar open days across the country, consulting with and listening to communities, taking on board their comments and answering their questions fully and honestly.

“It is also a chance for the farming community to talk face-to-face with experts from Farmgen and to hear what AD power generation could mean for them financially.”

Moss House, a 320-acre farm, has recently been bought by prominent Lancashire businessman and landowner Simon Rigby in a £2.2million deal.

He is one of the founders of Farmgen and has pioneered farm-based AD power generation in the UK – including Farmgen’s first operational plant at Carr Farm in Warton, near Preston.

The Moss House Farm plant, if approved by Wyre councillors, would use crops from local fields, converting them to electricity to be supplied to the National Grid. It would generate 1.2MW of electricity.

Farmgen’s inaugural AD operation at Warton was officially switched on earlier this year and is now generating 800kW of electricity – the equivalent of powering more than 1,000 homes.

Its second plant at Silloth in Cumbria was switched on by leading member of the European Parliament Sajjad Karim, earlier this month. The 1.2MW unit is now generating enough electricity to power more than 1,500 homes.

The company is looking to have 10 state-of-the-art AD plants up and running by 2015 – with sites earmarked across Britain’s rural communities including Lancashire, Cumbria and Dorset.

Ed Cattigan, Farmgen’s Commercial Director, said: “Our aim is for Moss House Farm to play an important part in our growth plans, as part of the revolution in ‘green energy’.

“Lancashire is our home and we believe that rural communities across the county can benefit from farm-based AD.

“As a result of our efforts, farmers can now see the real and tangible benefits that AD can give them and the opportunity they have to create a sustainable and stronger future for themselves by switching to ‘energy farming’.

“We believe what we have achieved at our operations at both Carr Farm and Dryholme Farm in Silloth shows just how successful on-farm AD plants can be. The Moss House Farm plant, if approved, will follow that proven formula.”

Established in 2009, Farmgen has put together an impressive consortium of expert UK-based firms to deliver its plants. The consortium includes leading members of the Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Association (ADBA).

Its AD plants use crops to create ‘biogas’, which is then used to generate electricity. 

AD plants are already commonplace across Europe – with around 5,000 operating in Germany alone. Farmgen believes the UK can sustain at least 1,000 similar plants.

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