Energy News

‘Human gas could be answer’ says British Gas

Friday, 16 October 2009

By Hazel Cottrell - hazel@consumerchoices.co.uk

Brits could soon be heating their homes with gas produced from human and animal waste, says ‘big six’ energy supplier.

Centrica, the owner of British Gas (www.britishgas.co.uk), is drawing up plans to build a biogas plant in the UK, according to The Times.

The plant would use organic waste, such as cow manure and sewage slurry, to produce biomethane, which would be pumped straight into the national gas network.

National Grid has estimated that biogas could produce 18% of the UK’s required supply of gas.

A spokesperson for Centrica told The Times that the company was considering building a plant in Britain that would process an array of materials – from abattoir and farm waste to municipal food waste.

Investing in biogas production may soon become more attractive with the government’s plans to introduce a subsidy scheme called the Renewable Heat Incentive by April 2011. This will provide funding for generators of renewable heat and producers of renewable biogas.