ENERGY
Environment-friendly – Gary Marshall , director of Steel River Consultants ( left ) joins Matt Flint , director of Wardley Biogas , at the Wardley Biogas Plant in Gateshead .
PICTURE : DAVID WOOD
WASTE NOT , WANT NOT
WORDS : PHILIP TALLENTIRE
Steel River Consultants oversees exciting new green energy production plants
Turning waste food into electricity or gas sounds too good to be true – but it isn ’ t .
Sources of clean , renewable energy have never been more in demand than they are now .
Nations across the globe are bidding to significantly reduce carbon emissions and eliminating the use of fossil fuels to create energy is a vital part of slowing down global warming .
One method of producing safe , clean energy is anaerobic digestion ( AD ).
It sounds fiendishly complicated , but the reality is simply ingenious and Teesside company Steel River Consultants ( SRC ) is providing invaluable assistance .
The Preston Farm-based firm is currently involved with four plants across the UK dedicated to producing AD and the projects are part of the government ’ s “ levelling up ” strategy .
The sites are in Gateshead , Kent , Staffordshire and Somerset and SRC is project managing the schemes and helping to secure funding .
The AD process begins when householders throw waste food into their wheelie bins . But instead of that rubbish being dumped in a landfill site to rot and , therefore , produce climate-harming methane gas , it ’ s sent to the nearest AD plant .
What the plant does then is turn that food waste into fuel . The technical term for the resulting renewable fuel is biogas and it can be used to power vehicles or piped into the national gas and electricity grids .
AD is a win-win process . Bacteria is used to break down the organic matter and one by-product of the process is the aforementioned biogas , mainly consisting of methane , which is captured and used as fuel . Another by-product of the process is the resultant solid waste which is extracted and pasteurised to make a nutrient-rich organic fertiliser , helping to replace the use of chemical fertilisers
Gary Marshall , director of cost and project management services at Steel River Consultants , is delighted that the company is involved in such an environmentally friendly project .
“ We ’ re very proud to be involved in any project ,” he begins .
“ To be selected by our clients to support the delivery of any scheme using our skills and expertise is gratifying , but there is something extra special when it ’ s a project that goes some way to helping the environment .
“ The UK reliance on gas imports has been highlighted recently following the Russian invasion of Ukraine , and the development of anaerobic digestion projects helps to contribute to the UK energy sector becoming self-sufficient .”
SRC provides project and cost management services during the construction , commissioning and performance testing of the AD plants .
The company also provides principal designer and health and safety services over the same period .
An additional critical role sees SRC undertake regular audits of the plants on behalf of the owners to ensure safe operation post-handover .
One satisfied client said : “ Gary and the
From the air – an aerial shot of an AD site .
SRC team provided an extremely diligent and professional service throughout the construction and commissioning of our facility .
“ Despite the unforeseen challenges caused by Covid , Gary ensured that all the construction contractors appointed by the project remained engaged and worked collaboratively , while also maintaining clear and timely reporting back to the project ’ s stakeholders and funders .”
The benefits of AD are startling . According to ADBA ( Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association ), the process can reduce the UK ’ s total greenhouse gas emissions by at least six per cent .
And the power generated from the AD process generates 96 per cent less climate-damaging carbon dioxide than the average source of UK electricity .
SRC is also involved in a green project in Rossendale , Lancashire . Valley Heritage is aiming to regenerate the Rossendale region and has taken over a vacant , neglected Grade II listed former bank on Bacup ’ s main street .
The project will see the building transformed into a low carbon community space , the learning from which will help formulate a strategy for adoption across the property portfolio managed by the council .
To find out more about the services offered by SRC visit srconsultants . co . uk .