Current Sites - Carr Farm

UPDATE - March 2011

The UK’s leading specialist in ‘energy farming’ has reached a major milestone in the development of its ground-breaking £3 million power plant in rural Lancashire.

Farmgen’s first pioneering Anaerobic Digestion (AD) plant at Carr Farm, Warton, near Preston, is firmly on course to be generating electricity in the next couple of months.

A team of specialist engineers has now finished the construction of the two large tanks forming the centerpiece of the operation – including the installation of the plant’s distinctive bio-domes, which play a key part in the AD process. Other specialist equipment is also being installed on-site as construction moves towards completion.

The completion of the work is also a landmark in Farmgen’s £30 million investment to create the biggest ‘energy farming’ expansion programme in Britain. Carr Farm is the first in a series of farm-based AD plants across the UK.

Once in operation, Carr Farm will generate enough continuous power for more than 1,000 homes and will provide a significant boost to the rural economy.

High Street giant Marks & Spencer has signed a five-year contract to buy the energy generated from the Warton plant at a fixed price, as part of its ‘Plan A’ commitment to procure more renewable energy from small-scale energy sources.

Work is also well underway on Farmgen’s second £3 million AD plant at Dryholme Farm in Silloth, Cumbria. It is also on course to start generating electricity later in the year.

More projects are in the pipeline across the country as growing numbers of farmers see the economic advantages of rural AD energy production.

Farmgen’s chief operating officer Ed Cattigan is delighted with the progress at Carr Farm. He said: “The AD plant is now really taking shape and the team of experts we have put together to create the development are doing a great job.

“We are firmly on course to be in a position to start generating electricity from the site very soon. Farmgen believes that Carr Farm will point the way forward for future farm-based AD plants across the UK.

“The work at Carr Farm has already generated major interest from farmers who can see the benefits and the opportunity to create a sustainable and stronger future for themselves by switching to ‘energy farming’.

“Renewables and other sources of green energy will play a critical role in providing the country’s power supplies over the next decade and we believe farm-based AD plants will have an important role to play in that transformation.”

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

The industry’s latest technology and know-how is being supplied to the project by leading UK process and technology business Monsal. It has been involved in over 200 AD projects and has the largest team of ‘biogas-to-energy’ technology specialists in the country.

Other members include Kirk Environmental, a specialist company manufacturing AD tanks, and engineering specialist Agrilek, which operates from Barrow-in-Furness and has been brought on board to connect the plant to the national grid.

UPDATE - December 2010

THE creation of the pioneering AD scheme at Carr Farm is really taking shape – with the delivery of equipment that will begin generating power from the project in 2011.

Construction work on the two large tanks which will form the centerpiece of the scheme is almost complete.

And as work advances at Carr Farm at Warton in Lancashire, Farmgen has revealed plans for its third AD project – also in the borough of Fylde.

The company – which is investing £30 million to create the biggest Anaerobic Digestion expansion programme in the UK – has earmarked a farm next to Kirkham Prison.

The company has also revealed it is in discussions to supply the Category D open prison’s energy needs, using crops grown by inmates at its farms. A planning application has been submitted by Farmgen for the site at Cooper House Farm, Kirkham Road, Freckleton.

Carr Farm will generate 800kW of electricity. The generating capacity of Cooper House Farm has yet to be confirmed but it could be up to 2MW in size – making it Farmgen’s biggest operation so far.

UPDATE - October 2010

BUILDING work is now well advanced on the two large tanks which will form the centerpiece of the pioneering AD scheme at Carr Farm.

The walls of the new AD tanks are almost completed, with the next stage, the erection of their roofs, set to start on-site shortly.

Service roads to the plant and clamps to hold material to feed it have already been constructed.

The work has been attracting national media attention and Farmgen Director Simon Rigby visited Carr Farm at Warton in Lancashire, to see the progress being made and to brief journalists on the project.

The construction work heralds a new era, not only for Carr Farm but for many farm operations across the UK, as part of Farmgen’s £30 million investment to create the biggest “energy farming” expansion programme in Britain.

As part of Farmgen’s expansion programme, planning applications are being prepared for more plants across Lancashire, Cumbria and Staffordshire, as well as future sites which are currently being lined up across the country.  

UPDATE - August 2010

After the completion of preliminary work on-site and the construction of service roads and clamps to hold material to feed the plant, building has now begun on the two large tanks, which will form the centrepiece of the pioneering scheme.

The construction of the two new AD tanks makes the start of a new era not only for Carr Farm, but for many farm operations across the UK, as part of Farmgen’s £30 million investment to create the biggest ‘energy farming’ expansion programme in Britain.

Building of the clamps where the feedstocks will be stored    

As part of Farmgen’s expansion programme, planning applications are being prepared for more plants across Lancashire, Cumbria and Staffordshire, as well as future sites which are currently being lined up across the country.  

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UPDATE - May 2010

Following last year's successful planning application to build a £2.5million AD plant, construction is already underway at Carr Farm, near Warton, in Lancashire.

The plant, which is set to generate 1MW of electricity, is scheduled to come on-stream early next year. Its electricity will then be exported to the National Grid, providing enough continuous power for more than 1,000 homes.  

Planning has also been secured for a further farm-based AD plant in Silloth, Cumbria. Following the consent from Allerdale Borough Council, work on-site is planned to commence later this year.  

To view a live webcam view of Carr Farm please click here

To view a progress video made on site please click here

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