Fenmarc Produce Ltd is well on the way to running all its factories on green energy produced from anaerobic digestion (AD).
Building work has already begun on the AD plant, adjacent to Fenmarc’s potato packing facility in March, Cambs. Sister company Local Generation is building the plant, which represents a £6 million investment project for the
group. It will transform 30,000tonnes of food waste each year into 1.2MW of electrical power. It should be operational by the end of this year.
Richard Anderson, Fenmarc Produce md said: “We’re looking forward to our factories being driven by green energy, offsetting our total power usage across our three sites. The project is a significant investment for the group and is part of our ongoing environmental plan, contributing to a sustainable green future.”
The Fenmarc/Local Generation model is designed to divert waste from landfill. Unlike many AD plants being built within the agricultural sector it will not require crops to be grown specially to maintain the operation. The facility will process packaged and unpackaged food waste, taking a large amount of waste from landfill and recycling as much as possible in the process. The aim is to use a mixture of retailer and manufacturer food waste, packaged and unpackaged. Local Generation is looking to establish new relationships with waste providers who would like to use an alternative solution to landfill.
Gary Crickmore, business development director at Fenmarc said: “We’re very excited to see the building work under way and proud to be involved in such a landmark project. The plant will benefit both the local economy and ecology and is a key element of our sustainability programme and CSR strategy.”
