Work on a new £32 million anaerobic digestion (AD) plant in Dagenham is now complete.

The facility, located in the London Sustainable Industries Park (SIP) in Dagenham Dock, was built by Britcon on behalf of food waste recycler ReFood (UK) Ltd.

The gas to grid (G2G) plant is capable of recycling 160,000 tonnes of food waste each year generating 14 million m3 of biogas. Using G2G technology, the facility can power 12,600 homes across the region as well as displacing 73,600 tonnes of CO2, the equivalent of taking 14,431 cars off the road.

Britcon managed the entire build project including groundworks, remediation works, piling operations, structural steelwork buildings and construction of works for multiple high rise, post tensioned, circular, reinforced concrete digester, receiving and gas storage tanks.

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The programme also included delivery of a carbon neutral, high specification office complex, and modern depackaging building with deep basement, numerous process structures and extensive external and landscaping works.

Philip Simpson, commercial director at ReFood, said: "Opening ReFood Dagenham comes as part of a strategic ambition to recycle more than one million tonnes of food waste by the end of 2017 – a milestone that we are on track to achieve thanks to Britcons' considerable expertise in such highly complex sites."

Shirley Rodrigues, London's Deputy Mayor (environment and energy), added: "We're committed to helping drive up London's recycling rates, as well as making London zero carbon by 2050. This new facility, the first of its kind in London, is exactly the type of solution we need to help achieve this. Not only will it deal with London's food waste, but it will also produce clean biogas to help cut the carbon emissions of the gas grid."

(LM/MH)