IN PROGRESS biodigester projects have been granted a reprieve by the UK government, which has extended the Renewable Heat Incentive’s tariff guarantee deadline for another year, to January 31, 2021.

Due to delays caused by political uncertainty, the existing 2020 deadline had become a bugbear for the AD industry, with Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association members highlighting that construction and connection times did not sync up with the Government’s deadline – potentially leading to developments being abandoned, hurting investment in anaerobic digestion and biogas projects.

ADBA this week welcomed the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s extension of the RHI tariff guarantee deadline, saying that the extra year would help bring certainty to the industry and give projects 'breathing space' to be completed and connected in time to qualify for the tariff guarantee.

ADBA chief executive Charlotte Morton, said: “I am very pleased that Ministers have listened to ADBA, our members and the wider biogas sector in implementing this extension to the tariff guarantee deadline. The existing timeframe was simply too tight for some of our members to complete and connect projects, leaving them at risk of missing out on being eligible for the scheme. We will continue to work with Ministers on support for our sector to encourage more green gas to grid, but this is an extremely welcome step.

"Further support for our industry is vital even after this extended deadline, both here and abroad. We need to act fast to address climate change, and AD has the ability to help reduce global emissions worldwide by over 10%," she added.