Plans in for a huge digester to power farm

A massive green energy plant capable of transforming 8,000 tonnes of crops and manure into power each year could be built near Shrewsbury, it was revealed this afternoon.

Preston Boats Farm in Preston on Severn, Uffington, has unveiled plans for an agricultural anaerobic digester capable of generating 499 kilowatt hours of renewable electricity a year.

If the plans are approved by Shropshire Council, the facility would cover 3,726 square metres and include two digestion tanks, a control room and storage tank.

The electricity would be used to power the farm and the balance would be fed directly into the National Grid. Power from the facility would be used to heat the farmhouse and other buildings at the site.

Anaerobic digestion is a process where organic material is biologically treated without oxygen to produce biogas, which can be used to generate a renewable green energy that can be fed into the National Grid.

A design and access statement in support of the scheme said that the local community had been approached about the scheme and that no negative comments had been received.

The farm has also asked for permission to widen its entrance to cope with the extra traffic generated by the facility.