A GROUP of more than 40 young farmers visited Bangley Quarry Biogas’s anaerobic digestion plant, located near Haddington.
Members of the East Lothian Young Farmers Association and the Edinburgh Young Farmers Association visited the site on May 14.
The farmers were given a tour of the facility by plant manager Cole Purslow and feedstock manager Andrew Geraghty.
The young farmers learnt about the process of converting solid and liquid waste materials into renewable natural gas and bio-fertiliser.
After the visit, Mr Purslow said: "We were delighted to welcome such a large group of young farmers for the site visit.
"It is very encouraging to see the next generation of farmers take such an interest in a renewable energy project which complements farming in East Lothian so well."
Mr Geraghty added: "We have been overwhelmed with the response from local farms, both in terms of supplying feedstock and using our digestate (bio-fertiliser).
"It was great to have such an enthusiastic group interested in understanding the renewable gas process."
Josh Gray, chairman of the East Lothian Junior Agricultural Club, said: "It was a brilliant experience visiting Bangley Quarry Biogas, it is an extremely impressive site.
"The tour gave our members a thorough understanding of how the plant operates and demonstrated how local waste can contribute to a circular economy by generating renewable gas and bio-fertiliser."
The bio-fertiliser, which is a by-product of the digestion process, is a valuable resource for local farmers.
It enhances soil health and promotes sustainable farming, aligning with the young farmers' aspirations to incorporate sustainable practices in their operations.
The visit concluded with a question-and-answer session, where the young farmers had the chance to discuss their farming practices and explore how they could implement similar sustainable solutions on their own farms.
Bangley Quarry Biogas is currently nearing the end of its commissioning process.
Once fully operational, it will be able to handle up to 100,000 tonnes of feedstocks each year, producing purified renewable natural gas that is injected into the national gas grid.
The facility is expected to produce 1,100m3/hour of renewable natural gas, enough to meet the energy needs of Haddington.
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