Policy CALCULATE FOOD WASTE COLLECTION SAVINGS
WITH NEW WRAP TOOLS WRAP has developed the following tools to help local authorities and AD operators easily calculate the savings they can make by separately collecting food waste and recycling it through AD: • The Food Waste Ready Reckoner. Local authorities can calculate the likely yield that a separate weekly food waste collection service can be expected to achieve in their area.
• The Kerbside Analysis Tool. Local authorities can calculate any initial upfront costs and resulting benefits from having different types of recycling collections.
• The Cost Benefit Analysis Tool. Local authorities and food waste AD operators can work together to calculate how the costs and benefits of separately collecting food waste to be treated through AD can be distributed and allocated between the two parties. Indicative costs are provided for three different contractual mechanisms.
We are continuing to work with WRAP and other organisations on the Food Waste Recycling Action Plan to improve the capture, supply and quality of household and commercial food waste in England. We are also continuing to push government to roll out separate food waste collections across England, following the success of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland in reducing food waste levels. To download the tools, go to
www.wrap.org.uk
RENEWABLES OBLIGATION
CLOSURE AND GRACE PERIODS The Renewables Obligation (RO), one of the main support mechanisms for renewable electricity projects in the UK, is closing to new applicants on 31 March 2017. Last year, Ofgem ran a short consultation on commissioning standards under the RO and industry practices, and this was followed up with draft guidance. Ofgem called for comments on the draft guidance, suggestions of what could be made clearer, and omissions that should be addressed. We worked with developers and the wider industry to prepare a response.
In the section of the guidance on meeting the ‘grid or radar delay grace period’, Ofgem set out the types of evidence that would be required if a grid connection is delayed and a plant cannot be commissioned by 31 March 2017. This is useful for ensuring that all commissioning standards and procedures have been adhered to and that, if delays do occur, grace period requirements can be satisfied.
When commenting on the draft guidance, our response highlighted that in exceptional cases distribution network operators (DNOs) may prove unwilling to provide a letter or email explicitly, or even implicitly, confirming grid works were planned and scheduled to take place on or before 31 March 2017. The draft guidance did not provide any instruction as to how the grid delay grace period would accommodate instances where the developer and the DNO are in a dispute.
If you have any questions on commissioning under the RO please contact our Policy Officer,
thom.koller@adbioresources.org
BIOGAS AND THE
INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY ADBA has welcomed the publication of the government’s Green Paper, ‘Building Our Industrial Strategy’. Throughout the spring we will be working closely with members to develop our response, setting out how AD can play a central role.
In the Paper, the government sets out 10 pillars that it sees as important for driving forward its Industrial Strategy across the entire economy, several of which are of direct relevance to the AD industry. Bioscience and biotechnology are specifically mentioned as one of the focus areas of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, which will create a new funding stream for R&D in technologies where the UK has the potential to take an industrial lead.
The Paper’s focus on investing in science, research and innovation, which is key to unlocking the full potential of the biogas industry worldwide, was particularly encouraging. We estimate that a government investment of £50m over 5-7 years in a Centre for Anaerobic Biotechnology and Bioresources Research would provide the initiative to deliver a step change in the rate of development of anaerobic biotechnology, putting the UK at the heart of a £1 trillion global industry.
In our response, we will look at opportunities and key challenges around the Industrial Strategy and propose a ‘sector deal’, in which we will set out key proposals on how government support can boost the productivity of the AD industry and the wider bioeconomy sector. We look forward to putting forward a strong case, to ensure that the bioeconomy is central to the UK’s Industrial Strategy moving forward. The consultation runs until 17 April 2017.
www.adbioresources.org adbioresources.org SPRING 2017 | AD & BIORESOURCES NEWS 33
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