Plans submitted for anaerobic digestion plant

Anaerobic digestors generate energy by breaking down organic matter

Plans have been submitted for an anaerobic digestion plant near Wragby.

Beckby Biogass Ltd claimed the facility would provide clean, renewable energy and benefit local farmers by entering an agreement with them to grow thousands of tonnes of crops every year.

Planning documents said the plant would produce little to no noise or smell.

The site crosses the East Lindsey and West Lindsey boundary and the application is available for comment on both councils' websites.

Anaerobic digestion generates energy by breaking down organic matter, creating biogas which can be pumped into the national gas grid.

The facility would include five digestion tanks, with farmers supplying 150,000 tonnes of maize, grass and rye to the site per year.

They would be asked to rotate between the crops, which improves the soil quality of their fields, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

There would be 29 heavy goods vehicle movements per day for most of the year, which would be limited to 07:00 to 19:00, six days a week.

However, during the six-week harvest season, this would increase to eight HGVs per hour, with deliveries extended until 21:00.

Beckby Biogass Ltd, which operates 12 similar plants, said the project was expected to produce between six and eight jobs.

The site was chosen due to its proximity with a national gas grid connection - about 600m (1,968ft) to the east.

"This co-production of food and energy offers multiple benefits - increasing crop yields, reducing the demand for pesticides and herbicides, enriching biodiversity and improving soil health, while decarbonising farming and energy system," the planning application stated.

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