Acorn Bioenergy submits bid to Highland Council to build £25m biogas plant at Fearn Airfield near Balintore in Easter Ross
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A company planning to produce "clean, green biogas" using crops as well as by-products from local farms and distilleries has submitted a planning application to Highland Council as part of its proposals to invest up to £55million in new developments in the region.
Acorn Bioenergy has accreditation to inject 5000m3 of biomethane into Scotland’s gas grid to heat homes, power heavy goods vehicles and help meet the need for greater UK energy security.
The company wants to achieve that by developing new anaerobic digestion plants in the Highlands, Moray and Aberdeenshire, with a total investment in Scotland over the next two years of around £105m.
The proposal for Easter Ross has already attracted local objections and been the subject of public meetings.
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The London-based firm is seeking permission from Highland Council to develop the first of its proposed Scottish plants on a 7.5-hectare site at Fearn Airfield, near Balintore, in Easter Ross.
Acorn said development of the £25m plant, which it hopes will be operational by 2024, would create 15 full-time jobs in the area and around 100 during its construction.
It will offer local farmers a new, long-term source of income, selling “feedstock,” such as energy crops, silages, straw and waste inputs, including manures, to be used in the plant’s five digestion tanks, along with draff and pot ale from local distilleries.
As a by-product of the gas production process, the facility will produce supplies of digestate fertiliser for use on farms as a greener alternative to traditional fossil fuel fertilisers.
The biomethane produced at the plant will also be available as an alternative, green gas fuel supply to distilleries to help them achieve net-zero targets in their heating processes. In exchange for distilling by-products, Acorn will work with distillers to create a circular economy solution to their high energy demands while helping decarbonise their operations from field to bottle.
Carbon dioxide will also be produced and captured, with potential uses in a variety of sectors, including food and drink, emerging hydrogen technologies and the sustainable aviation market.
Acorn said its studies had shown that, once operational, the Fearn Airfield plant is expected to add just 10% to traffic movements on access routes to the site. The firm added that the facility, which will not use food or domestic waste or animal biproducts, would create only “minimal odour” and low levels of background noise.
The company intends to hold a series of local consultation events to encourage engagement with residents and communities close to the proposed plant as part of the planning process. Acorn has also submitted a planning application for a gas injection point near Morayston, by Inverness.
Natalie Dillon, of Acorn, said: “This is an exciting stage for our planned projects in the Highlands and we are looking forward to working closely with the local communities and The Highland Council as we continue to develop them.
“There is a pressing need for greater UK energy security and a rapidly increasing demand for greener fuel for the transition to net-zero. Anaerobic digestion is a tried-and-tested, centuries old technology that can produce clean, green energy to heat homes and power HGVs.
“We have identified areas in Scotland where agriculture and distilleries are a significant part of the landscape and would like to work with farmers and distillers to offer an alternative source of secure income with longevity in return for feedstock.”
Ms Dillon added: “As well as helping decarbonise important sectors such as agriculture and the whisky industry, we can make a significant contribution to The Highland Council’s target of a carbon neutral Inverness in a low carbon Highlands by 2025.”
