Building Industry News
A new network of anaerobic digestion (AD) plants will be built to create energy using organic waste, it has been revealed.
The £65 million Tamar Energy scheme is backed by investors including Lord Rothschild and the Prince of Wales's private Duchy of Cornwall estate.
Supermarket chain Sainsbury's has also pledged £2 million to the project.
The 40 sites will use waste such as food scraps to make green energy, as well as fertiliser for the agricultural industry.
Bacteria will be used to convert the waste into biogas, which can then be burned to create electricity or used in the gas grid.
Some 100 megawatts of energy will be produced at the plants, organisers said.
The power plants will be developed over the next five years.
Welcoming the announcement, energy and climate change secretary Ed Davey said: "This is the sort of project that will be crucial for keeping the lights on and emissions down in the UK in the coming decades."
Copyright Press Association 2011