Construction has begun on a new £35 million anaerobic digestion (AD) facility at SUEZ’s Ellington site in Northumberland.
The AD facility is set to become operational in Autumn 2027 to support the introduction of food waste collections across Northumberland and the North East.
Once operational, SUEZ says the facility will process up to 50,000 tonnes of food waste each year, and produce a recycled fertiliser product and enough green gas to power around 5,500 homes.
John Scanlon, Executive Vice President UK, SUEZ, commented: “We are thrilled to have broken ground on this site, increasing food waste recycling capacity in the region alongside a source of reliable, renewable energy generation for local economies.”
“Doing so in a sustainable way is the only way, and I’m proud of the fact that we’re not only building with circularity in mind, but that we deconstructed the previous facility in this way too by repurposing buildings and re-using the materials.”
Before the initial groundworks, the previous on-site facilities were dismantled to allow material to be retained and repurposed.
SUEZ says more than 10,500 tonnes of concrete recovered during demolition is being reused within the development’s formation layers, and approximately 60% of the structural steel required for the main building will be reclaimed.
The project is being delivered in line with the principles of Circularity in Practice, a nationwide, voluntary initiative inspired by King Charles, of which SUEZ is a member.
The new facility will also be powered by the existing on-site landfill gas power generation scheme, which SUEZ says will provide local energy security by producing biogas.