The final item of business is a members’ business debate on motion S6M-19318, in the name of Emma Harper, on fuelling the future—recognising anaerobic digestion’s role in Scotland’s net zero transition. The debate will be concluded without any question being put.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament recognises what it sees as the significant contribution of anaerobic digestion (AD) and biogas to Scotland’s transition to net zero; welcomes the work of the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA) to research, develop and promote the AD industry across Scotland, including the economically prominent dairy farming sector in the south west of Scotland; notes that AD technology supports the circular economy by converting organic and residue wastes and by-products into renewable energy and non-synthetic nutrient-rich digestate fertiliser; highlights what it sees as the role of biogas in diversifying energy sources and enhancing energy security, including the potential for widening delivery for non-gas grid rural communities; understands that the AD sector provides direct support to farmers and rural communities through sustainable waste management, value for cover and break crops, additional income streams and skilled job creation; believes that further investment and policy support for AD and biogas will play a key role in meeting Scotland’s climate targets, boosting the rural economy and reducing reliance on fossil fuels, and notes the calls on the Scottish Government to consider creating a biogas champion position to oversee interdepartmental and cross-portfolio collaboration to ensure the success of the AD sector for the future.
18:11
Deputy Presiding Officer, I wish you and other members a happy new year, and I welcome everyone back following recess. I thank the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association for its briefing and for its work with me on many occasions ahead of the debate; its expertise has been invaluable.
I am pleased to lead this members’ business debate, which recognises the significant contribution that anaerobic digestion and biogas can make to Scotland’s transition to net zero. Agriculture plays a huge role in my South Scotland region, as 48 per cent of Scotland’s dairy herd is in the south-west, so there is potential for AD to make a big difference in communities across the south and throughout rural Scotland—it could be transformational for those communities.
It is interesting that not a single Conservative member—including Conservative members who represent people in rural areas—has supported my completely apolitical motion.
Anaerobic digestion is a proven technology. It takes organic material such as food waste, agricultural residues such as slurry and distillery by-products and breaks that down in the absence of oxygen—that is the only time that I will talk slurry in the debate this evening. The process of anaerobic digestion produces biogas and biomethane—a direct substitute for fossil gas—and a nutrient-rich digestate that can be used as sustainable fertiliser. Heat is also a co-product. In short, anaerobic digestion supports a circular economy by turning waste into energy and valuable resources.
The technology has been there for decades, but it is only now that it has advanced to the point at which the large-scale deployment of small-scale AD plants is economically and technically feasible. Scotland is already one of the world’s leaders in rolling out AD, but we have the potential to go much further.
More than 90 AD plants are already in operation across the country, delivering 60MW of fully renewable electricity and processing more than 5 million tonnes of organic waste. That is 5 million tonnes that is saved from landfill and used for good rather than generating harmful methane emissions. The potential to increase that figure substantially through AD investment is huge and could help to transform our communities in many different ways.
Every council is already obligated to collect and treat food waste from households, which provides a ready and sustainable supply of material for AD in urban areas, but it is the potential for AD in rural areas that is really a game changer. Harnessing the potential of Scotland’s dairy herd by building small-scale AD facilities on or near farms could reduce methane emissions by the equivalent of 500,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, which would be another step in making Scotland a carbon-neutral nation.
In my region, Crofthead farm near Crocketford provides a prime example of what can be done. I know that the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy has visited Crofthead—in the past couple of years, I think—and that the First Minister visited at this time last year. The farm is working hard with the industry-leading Carbon Removers to install a facility that is capable of processing up to 100,000 tonnes of waste a year, producing 8MW of electricity and returning fertiliser as the primary by-product. Maybe we should rename those by-products “co-products”, because they are not just by-products.
By locating such facilities in the heart of farming communities, we can improve local resilience and help our agricultural businesses, as well as reducing demand on the main gas grid. A widespread roll-out of AD could mean rural Scotland getting access to local gas networks, which would mean that, for the first time, communities could move from bottled gas or heating oil to long-term grid connections. That would be a win-win for rural Scotland.
Rolling out anaerobic digestion technology is a perfect example of a just transition. If we took full advantage of the opportunities that are open to us, more than 60,000 jobs could be created across these isles in the decades to come. If Scotland continues to lead the way, we can claim more than our share of those jobs of the future.
That headline figure belies the fact that those jobs will be concentrated in more rural areas, where the technology is deployed and where the fuel sources are. Five or 10 jobs created to maintain and install the tech might be a drop in the ocean in the central belt, but for fragile rural economies, those skilled jobs could help to turbocharge demand and provide a long-term sustainable basis for future jobs in other sectors.
To unlock that potential, we need targeted policy support, planning reform, grid access, low-cost finance and pragmatic regulation. I support the calls for the Scottish Government to consider creating a biogas champion to ensure cross-portfolio collaboration. I am not wedded to the title of biogas champion, but the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association has referred to the AD industry as naebody’s child, so I think that it would be worth exploring what we can do to improve knowledge of and access to AD across the whole of Scotland.
I thank the cabinet secretary for being present to respond to the debate and for her recent response to my correspondence on the issue. I am extremely keen to hear her summing up on behalf of the Government. As the First Minister has said in the past, net zero should not be seen as being purely about energy policy—it crosses portfolios and responsibilities across the spectrum of our society.
Embedding AD technology and installation into agribusiness is a win not just for our energy policy ambitions but for small businesses, employment in rural areas and economic development; for tackling rural depopulation and demographic challenges; and for the future of public services in those communities—in short, across the board in public policy.
If I sound like an evangelist on the issue, it is because I see the huge potential at our fingertips to build a fairer and greener Scotland, embedded in our rural communities and securing a better future for the people there. I am, therefore, keen to hear from the Government what more can be done to incentivise the expansion of these facilities in order to help Scotland lead the way on anaerobic digestion and biogas.
Anaerobic digestion and biogas are ready now, and they deliver meaningful carbon savings, renewable energy and circular economy benefits immediately. Investing in AD is one of the lowest-cost greenhouse gas removal pathways available to us, so let us seize the opportunity to meet our climate targets, boost our rural economy and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
We move to the open debate.
18:18
I thank Emma Harper for securing the debate on anaerobic digestion. I confirm Conservative support for the motion, and my personal support should be published shortly.
The debate is a timely and welcome opportunity for us to discuss a technology that can make a real contribution to tackling climate change while delivering economic value for Scotland. I am pleased that the motion recognises that potential and, in particular, the role that anaerobic digestion can play in building a circular economy. That concept is fundamental, because a strong circular economy underpins our efforts to cut emissions, deliver a just transition for workers and create genuine, sustainable prosperity in communities across the country.
I echo the motion’s recognition of the work of the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association. I have met ADBA regularly during my time in Parliament, and I have spoken at one of its conferences, so I have first-hand knowledge of the depth of expertise that it brings and the commitment that it shows to ensuring that Scotland gains the maximum environmental and economic benefit from anaerobic digestion, especially in rural areas.
When an organisation with that level of experience raises concerns, we should listen. ADBA has set out a number of policy asks to support the sector. I do not have time to cover them all today, but I will highlight a few points that I hope will encourage the Scottish Government to engage more closely.
I will start with the specific but high-impact concern about the Scottish Environment Protection Agency’s proposals to change the regulatory status of feedstocks. There is a risk that non-waste anaerobic digestion could be regulated using the European Union’s best-available-technology standards that are designed for waste water treatment. At the same time, co-products such as pot ale could be reclassified as waste when sent to AD plants. That would mean that materials that are currently used productively—for example, as animal feed—would instead require waste transfer notes and waste handling certification. In short, those proposals would significantly increase costs and could affect as many as 20 major AD plants across Scotland. I urge the Scottish Government to bring together SEPA and ADBA to find a more proportionate and pragmatic approach.
That links to the broader point that the sector needs a clear public commitment from the Scottish Government to the future role of biogas and biomethane. Such technologies can play an important part in the decarbonisation of heat, and policy certainty would send a strong and positive signal to investors. The Government could go further still by creating sustainable market incentives—for example, around the use of bio-CO2.
Alongside that, we must reduce unnecessary red tape. I agree with ADBA that planning guidance should presume consent for AD plants that meet best-practice standards under the anaerobic digestion certification scheme. At a strategic level, there is also a need to address the fragmentation of responsibility for biogas and biomethane across Government.
Let us be clear about what is at stake. Scotland already has around 90 AD plants, which process 5.6 million tonnes of organic waste each year, produce 60MW of renewable electricity and account for around a quarter of the United Kingdom’s biomethane injection capacity. With the right policies, the sector could go much further. However, that opportunity will not realise itself. I therefore urge the Scottish Government to listen to the experts and turn that potential into reality.
18:23
I congratulate Emma Harper on securing this debate. We should be debating anaerobic digestion and biogas, which are really important as they can help us to meet our net zero ambitions and they can also strengthen our rural economy. I also thank the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association.
The fact that there are now more than 90 AD plants in Scotland tells us something. We can see the success of AD in the Lothians. Facilities such as the Millerhill plant are taking food waste from households and businesses and turning it into renewable gas and nutrient-rich digestate, cutting emissions and supporting local agriculture. The plant will heat more than 3,000 homes in Shawfair through a local heat network. It will save about 2,500 tonnes of CO2, which is the equivalent of taking 1,200 cars off our roads. That represents a solution to some of the issues that we face. We also have the Bangley Quarry Biogas AD plant near Haddington, which my colleagues Martin Whitfield and Douglas Alexander recently visited.
We should not miss the opportunities for the creation of jobs and environmental benefits. Instead of allowing methane to escape from manure, slurry and food waste, AD captures it and turns it into a clean, usable energy source. It transforms a climate liability into a climate solution. We should be doing more of that. It provides a kind of dual benefit.
Will the member take an intervention?
I will not, because I am hosting an event that is supposed to start in about three minutes, and I would like to dash off after my speech. I apologise for that, Presiding Officer, and acknowledge that, of course, the event will not start until we have finished this debate.
We need to do more to champion this tech. Looking ahead, I note that biogas and upgraded biomethane could play a growing role in transport, particularly for heavy vehicles and agricultural machinery. If we were to produce sustainable aviation fuel at Grangemouth, captured bio CO2 could support SAF production in Scotland. That would be a big step forward.
As Emma Harper mentioned, AD offers tangible benefits for farmers. At a time when fertiliser prices have been volatile and environmental standards are rightly rising, digestate gives farmers a stable home-grown alternative. In relation to energy security and rural resilience, biomethane can be used for heat, transport, industry and dispatchable power.
As we focus on tackling our climate emissions, we need to focus more on anaerobic digestion. That means that we need to think about separating and collecting different types of waste, so that food waste, for example, can be utilised effectively.
The United Kingdom methane action plan stresses that methane reduction must go hand in hand with profitable farming and strong rural economies, and AD is one of the few technologies that can deliver on all fronts at once. That is why the creation of a champion in the Scottish Government, as Emma Harper’s motion calls for, would provide a really good way forward. The UK Government is a global methane pledge champion. In Scotland, a dedicated biogas champion would help to align agriculture, waste, heat, energy and environmental policies and to tackle the challenges that Maurice Golden raised.
We need to unlock the sector’s full potential. We have the natural resources, the rural expertise and the climate ambition to lead the way on anaerobic digestion and biogas. That is exactly the kind of practical and scalable solution that we should be championing in Scotland.
I apologise to colleagues who will be speaking after me, but I look forward to reading the Official Report after the debate. I thank everyone for taking part in this key debate.
18:27
I will try to stick to time, so as not to delay Ms Boyack’s event too much. I join her in thanking Emma Harper for securing the debate. I commend the terms of Ms Harper’s motion, which rightly set out the significant contribution that anaerobic digestion and biogas can make to Scotland’s journey to net zero and to strengthening local economies.
I was keen to speak in the debate from my constituency perspective. In Cumbernauld, there are two anaerobic digestion facilities—one at the Wardpark industrial estate and one at Deerdykes. Emma Harper rightly described Scotland as a world leader in anaerobic digestion, and I am pleased to say that my area has been a leader in Scotland. Cumbernauld and Kilsyth have been at the forefront of developing the technology in Scotland.
Deerdykes was the first large-scale biogas plant in Scotland, opening in 2010. In its first decade of operation, it processed more than 150,000 tonnes of food waste. In 2022, it passed another milestone, having generated 50 gigawatt hours of energy since its opening, which equates to the annual energy use of some 13,500 homes. The facility was built by Scottish Water Horizons, which is a subsidiary of Scottish Water that operates on a commercial basis. Nonetheless, the fact that it is a subsidiary of a public sector agency is a reminder that the public sector can be involved in such processes.
Recently, the facility has been sold to new owners, and it will operate as Deerdykes Bioenergy Ltd, which is looking to significantly expand the operation to provide 100 gigawatt hours of energy each year and provide the annual gas supply for 8,000 homes—10 per cent of the biomethane that is currently used in Scotland. The expansion would result in new operations commencing in 2027, with cuts to greenhouse gas emissions and improvements to the circularity of industry in Scotland.
I very much welcome its plans, which will make a positive contribution to our climate ambitions and to the economy in my area. The sale of the facility from public to private hands raises some questions about the on-going role of the public sector in investing in facilities of this nature, so it would be useful to hear from the cabinet secretary, in closing, the Government’s perspective on having a mixture of private sector and public sector investment in this area and whether the Government sees that as a worthwhile approach.
The other site in my area is Energen Biogas, which is adjacent to my constituency office in Wardpark. It began receiving food waste in 2011 and now supplies 100 Scottish farms, covering more than 100,000 hectares of land, with biofertiliser, and it also produces renewable gas and electricity. Again, it is welcome that there has been such a facility locally, as it provides employment opportunities and contributes positively to our net zero challenges.
In the site’s early days—this speaks to some of the challenges that will occasionally be faced as the sector grows—there were some teething problems. For some time, nearby residents complained of being impacted by noxious odour release, which understandably generated a significant number of complaints and necessitated the involvement of SEPA. To the company’s credit, it took the necessary step to make improvements. That seems to have resolved the issue, but it raises questions about where such facilities should be located. The case of the farm that Emma Harper mentioned pointed to a different context, of locating new facilities near to the source of the material being used, but perhaps there is a wider question about where the facilities should be located.
In planning for an increased number of anaerobic digestion facilities, to add to the 90-odd existing sites in Scotland—which I believe should happen and is necessary—how might the question of where they should be located be factored in, so that there is reduced impact on nearby residents?
I echo the calls for further investment in the sector and for support for the sector. With the right support, it can help to deliver net zero, energy security and a just transition for communities in Scotland. It can also help to generate job opportunities and stimulate the local economy.
18:32
I thank my colleague Emma Harper for raising the issue. It links to a number of Scottish Government priorities, but I also know how passionate she is about anaerobic digestion. She was right to say that I visited her region when I was only a few months into being the energy minister. The on-farm anaerobic digestion system was really inspiring. I remember that it also produced carbon dioxide for the drinks industry, which is a compelling business opportunity, given that a lot of carbon dioxide comes from mainland Europe and there is obviously a cost associated with that.
As has been pointed out by everyone who has spoken in the debate, anaerobic digestion has the potential to create new opportunities for rural communities to achieve greater energy independence and to reduce their reliance on the burning of fossil fuels, to deliver a more circular economy and to diversify their business at a time when farmers are finding that they are squeezed in relation to a lot of the prices associated with the produce that they are traditionally involved in. They have to look to other areas to diversify their business, and what is better than using the waste associated with livestock or any kind of food production and turning it into money?
We need to embrace the opportunities that embedding a circular economy can bring. We talk about waste, but it is a resource that can be used to expand business opportunities and create jobs.
In 2024, the Scottish Government published our ambitious “Scotland’s Circular Economy and Waste Route Map to 2030”, which set out our plan to progress into a circular economy, to ensure that we maximise the positive impact of the new Circular Economy (Scotland) Act 2024 for communities across the whole of Scotland and to realise the economic opportunities that exist in that area, as well as doing the heavy lifting associated with reducing our carbon footprint.
Food waste is one of the more stubborn areas of waste. Of course, food waste is also a feedstock for anaerobic digestion. As I said, waste materials from agriculture are a significant source of emissions, but if some of those materials can be processed into providing heat and electricity, they will add to the abundant mix of natural energy resources that are already displacing the burning of fossil fuels.
Sarah Boyack has left the chamber, but I liked her phrase about turning “a climate liability”—that is, methane—into “a climate solution”. She can find that comment in the Official Report when she reads it later.
I want to highlight that even the effluent from abattoirs can be used and processed through anaerobic digesters. That is another way that we can maximise or capitalise on the benefits of anaerobic digestion.
Absolutely. We are talking about organic material, and there is a cost to producers in dealing with any effluent that is associated with food production, so it is better for it to perhaps be used as a feedstock. I absolutely take that point.
There are barriers to anaerobic digestion schemes, some of which have been mentioned. The UK Government’s green gas support scheme has incentivised larger-scale anaerobic digestion plants, which is a positive step. Those larger anaerobic digestion plants will have access to feed into the gas grid, which is hugely welcome. In Scotland, there are a lot of resources that could be suitable for processing in plants that operate on a smaller scale and that are located in rural locations, on farms and at distilleries. However, we know that it is difficult for farms to justify the investment in the required plants. We have to look beyond large-scale anaerobic digestion plants and see how we can get a little more movement on smaller ones.
I recently met representatives of ADBA in my constituency, although in a ministerial capacity, when it invited me to the headquarters of BrewDog, which I know very well, as it is in Ellon in my constituency. BrewDog has an anaerobic digestion plant that uses a lot of the water, effluent and waste from the brewing production there. I also met local farmers who came along to talk to me about how they want more of their colleagues to take on the mantle and use small anaerobic digesters. They wanted to spread the message that it is a good idea for farmers to do that, and they highlighted some of the barriers.
Maurice Golden mentioned a barrier relating to the categorisation of waste. I am open to looking at that, as the regulations have been in place for quite a while and we do not want them to stand in the way of innovation or to have unintended consequences. I am therefore happy to talk to the regulator about whether we can do any recalibration or recategorisation of waste to ensure that unnecessary red tape is not having a negative impact.
Will anaerobic digestion form part of the energy strategy? If so, when will we see that strategy?
Douglas Lumsden’s greatest hits for 2026 are the same as for 2025.
I talked to ADBA about the climate change plan. At that point, the plan had not been published, and ADBA was very keen for anaerobic digestion to be mentioned in it. I hope that ADBA will have read the plan by now. I made sure that AD was mentioned in it, because, as Sarah Boyack said, we have an opportunity to reduce the emissions associated with waste from food production and animal waste, but we also have an economic development opportunity. I was pleased to meet ADBA representatives and my colleagues at BrewDog, and some of the farming colleagues who were there.
Anyone who is considering investing in an anaerobic digestion plant should not be put off by some of the issues that Maurice Golden mentioned. I encourage such people to engage with SEPA and Zero Waste Scotland at the earliest opportunity, because their expert advice can help to shape the most resource-efficient and successful projects. The Scottish Government also provides interest-free loans through Business Energy Scotland. Farms can apply for up to £100,000 towards an AD system with combined heat and power, and Business Energy Scotland can also provide advice to deliver more energy-efficient low-carbon solutions.
I am glad that the issue has been raised in the chamber. I was pleased to hear about the plants in Cumbernauld and Kilsyth that Jamie Hepburn mentioned. Biogas for 8,000 homes is not to be sniffed at, and I look forward to perhaps coming to Mr Hepburn’s constituency to see how that is rolled out. The numbers that Jamie Hepburn quoted on tackling food waste are important. As I said, that is a stubborn type of waste on which we are maybe not meeting the targets. In fact, there is no maybe about it—we are not meeting our targets for food waste. Of course, food waste is also a feedstock that we should be using.
To answer a question that I think Jamie Hepburn asked, the public sector should be decarbonising more. Perhaps we will see more local authorities seizing the opportunity of anaerobic digestion plants as part of the circular economy work that they are doing. That might be unlocked by the producer levy funding that is coming to them.
In conclusion, I thank Emma Harper. She is already a champion for anaerobic digestion, and I will reflect on her asks of the Government.
Meeting closed at 18:41.Previous
Decision Time