'Very positive' response to Buckie biogas plans hailed
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
PLANS to build a biogas plant on the outskirts of Buckie have met with a positive local response.
The was the message coming from a public drop-in consultation at Buckie's Fishermen's Hall yesterday (Thursday) held by Acorn Bioenergy highlighting their proposals to build the plant at Hill of Rathven by Buckie at the junction of March Road and the A98. The firm hope to build another similar facility at Longmorn, on the outskirts of Elgin. The Buckie plant would occupy around seven hectares of land.
Acorn had held an initial consultation in Buckie at the beginning of December and were back in town again to discuss the results and garner any further comments from the public.
The firm's Scottish Business Development Manager Natalie Dillon said the feedback from last month had been very encouraging.
She continued: "It's all been very positive and we've lots of letters of support.
"There's also been lots of good engagement with local farmers.
"We're preparing to have discussions to work with people locally as well as with distilleries in the area to supply them with methane. We're keen to talk to as many people as possible locally to make sure everyone is happy with what we're proposing to do."
If given the green light by planners, Acorn Bioenergy estimate that once operational the Buckie plant would provide around 15 well-paid permanent with up to 100 created during the construction phase.
However, the wider community is also likely to see a financial benefit from the project.
Ms Dillon explained: "Going forward we will be looking to create a Community Benefit Fund and we're keen to hear suggestions how that could be spent.
"This would be supporting net zero projects.
"We'll be looking to talk to schools, the community council and other organisations, and if anyone has any suggestions, please send them to us at info.scot@acornbioenergy.com"
Ms Dillon went on to say that the next stage in the project would see Acorn undertake invasive investigations at the proposed site in order to gain a greater understanding of the ground there ahead of the construction phase. Alongside this, the firm aim to lodge a major planning application with Moray Council around mid-February.
Should all go smoothly with the planning process, it is hoped that the biogas plant would be up and running in 2024 following a construction phase lasting between nine and 12 months.
The biogas production process involves taking materials such as rye, animal manure, straw and distilling co-products and putting them into sealed tank where they are broken down by naturally occurring bacteria. This produces biomethane and CO2.
The biomethane component would be injected into the national grid with the Buckie plant expected to produce enough gas to heat 7000 homes or fuel 270 HGVs for a year, according to Acorn's estimates. Some of the gas can also be used by distilleries which are currently too far from the grid and have to ship in gas by tanker.
Various uses for the CO2 produced include conditioning it to be used in the food and drink industry, helping grow food in glass houses or sending it to the North Sea for sequestration. Another use for the gas is to make biofertilisers, which can come in either liquid or solid forms. The liquid form can be spread on farmland while the solid form can be used as a peat substitute in compost.
