Power station sparks into life at Harper Adams

An energy plant which converts thousands of tonnes of waste into electricity has sparked into life at Shropshire's Harper Adams University College, and will supply almost all of its power needs.

Estates manager Paul Moran said the anaerobic digestion unit will process 15,000 tonnes of farm waste produced across Harper Adams' operations, along with an additional 8,000 tonnes of food waste from commercial and municipal operations.

He said: "By diverting waste from landfill, reducing our need to buy in electricity and gas for power and heating, and providing our own rich fertiliser, it is estimated that the plant will offset campus carbon emissions more than three times over."

The plant has been shortlisted for three national awards and Mr Moran has been named the Energy Institute's 2011 Energy Manager of the Year.