Thirty-eight applications to build new or expand existing biomethane plants have been submitted in the first assessment window, under a new cost-sharing model designed to accelerate renewable gas development in the UK.
Cadent, the UK’s largest gas distribution network, said the applications represent one of the most significant potential expansions of biomethane capacity to date.
The projects span its network area, including 17 in the East of England, 13 in the East Midlands, five in the West Midlands and three in the North West.
The applications are the first to be assessed using Cadent’s new clustering approach, supported by Ofgem, which allows developers in constrained areas to share the cost of network reinforcement rather than one project bearing the full upgrade cost.
Cadent already has 47 biomethane plants connected to its network, delivering around 4TWh of energy each year, equivalent to the gas use of about 351,000 homes.
The company aims to increase this to 20TWh by 2035, enough to supply around 1.8 million homes.
Howard Forster, Chief Operating Officer at Cadent, said the number of applications shows growing confidence in biomethane as a practical route to cutting emissions.
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