Minister visits Clearfleau stand at EBEC
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Gregory Barker, Minister of State at DECC (Department of Energy and Climate Change) visited Clearfleau’s stand at EBEC (European Bio-energy Expo and Conference) on 6th October where he was briefed on Clearfleau’s technology.
Clearfleau has completed the construction of BV Dairy’s anaerobic treatment and renewable energy facility and final commissioning is well under way. The high-rate Anaerobic Digestion (AD) project is processing residues from the dairy product production and is already generating biogas.
Dorset based BV Dairy was awarded a grant from the AD Demonstration Programme, an ETF scheme for funding innovative AD projects and it is the first of 5 projects to start operating. The grant was awarded in June 2009 and construction started in December 2010.
While visiting Clearfleau’s stand at EBEC, Gregory Barker was told that the BV Dairy plant is the first of its type in the UK and it will reduce BV Dairy’s purchase of electricity for their dairy factory by about 60%. It will show how using processing waste and co-products as an energy feedstock can save costs and generate revenue, whilst cutting the site’s carbon footprint.
Richard Gueterbock, Director of Clearfleau, commented:
“The Minster heard about the completion of this project. It was part funded by his Department and we hope that he will visit the site next year. This plant was built with support from the ETF Programme and it is anticipated it will be the first of a number of plants to be built on dairy and food processing sites in the next few years, helping to reduce energy costs and carbon footprint of UK food production.”
Under the terms of WRAP’s funding, BV Dairy is a demonstration site for the dairy processing sector, as well as the rest of the food industry. It will be possible to visit the site, either as part of a group visit on designated dates or separately by agreement with BV Dairy or Clearfleau.