| Energy
UK AD & Biogas 2016: Bringing together the
global AD community
The UK’s AD sector proved that it’s still open for business
when over 3,600 people gathered at Birmingham’s NEC on
6-7 July for the first ever global AD & biogas trade show.
ow in its seventh
year, UK AD &
Biogas 2016
demonstrated the
sector’s
robustness, with
Chief Executive, Charlotte Morton,
launching ADBA’s latest Market
Report by revealing that the
number of operational plants in the
UK was up 30 per cent year on
year. And there was plenty of
evidence of activity on the show
floor with 350+ exhibitors being
overwhelmingly positive about the
quantity and quality of leads they
received.
Visitors travelled from far and
wide to see the latest AD
technology, meet suppliers and
industry experts, and hear firsthand accounts of successful
international biogas projects. One
in ten attendees was from outside
the UK, with every continent and
over 50 countries represented. The
launch of ADBA’s first International
Market Report was highly
N
anticipated and revealed the
benefits AD is bringing to
communities across the world.
An attitude of openness and
transparency filtered through all
aspects of the show, not least at
the launch of the first phase of
ADBA’s Best Practice Scheme.
Acting as a driver for improvement,
the three Best Practice Checklists
cover operational performance,
risk management and
procurement, and will be followed
by a formal certification scheme
and a new dedicated best practice
section on the ADBA website.
Day Two saw the launch of the
highly anticipated Food Waste
Recycling Action Plan for England
(FWRAP). Billed as the industry’s
response to the challenge of
increasing food waste recycling in
England, it has been shaped by
ADBA, WRAP, other trade
associations and companies
representing the waste
management and AD sectors.
With UK AD & Biogas 2016 now
26 | Farming Monthly | August 2016
acting as a hub for the world’s
biogas community, it’s clear that
despite political uncertainty there
is still room for optimism. As
ADBA’s Head of Policy, Matt
Hindle, said: “There are still
opportunities ahead in the UK, but
the industry will have to work hard
– and work together – to realise
them.” Globally, the picture is
immensely optimistic, however,
given AD’s ability to address so
many critical issues, which this
year’s show made so clear.
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