Venue: P&J Arena, Aberdeen
ADBA is the UK’s trade association body for anaerobic digestion and bioresources.
At last year’s in-person conference in Scotland, following a hiatus induced by the pandemic, ADBA made its triumphant return to Scotland re-establishing the rationale for Anaerobic Digestion – or AD, as it is commonly referred – as the Scottish Government looks to achieve net zero by 2045 – 5 years ahead of the UK as a whole.
Having established the ‘what’ and the ‘why’ of AD in Scotland last year, we intend to outline the ‘when’, the ‘where’ and the ‘how’ at this year’s conference.
Scotland was the UK’s engine room during the industrial revolution, its oil and gas industry was the basis of the UK’s economic growth in more recent years gone-by and its natural resources and renewable energy potential can and will be the powerhouse of the UK’s green economy in the future.
Scotland’s wind sector alone can already provide power to the equivalent of one-third of the homes across the UK and with a multitude of wind and solar projects to come online in the future, this will substantially increase between now and 2050.
However, when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun does not shine – the energy system will need a back-up. AD is one of the very few dispatchable technologies that can provide that.
The International Energy Association has forecast that AD will be the second-fastest growing sector across the world by 2050. If Scotland were simply to grow in line with the IEA’s global average between now and 2030, it would have approximately 180 AD plants by then.
However, in order to realise this potential and to secure that back-up to the energy grid amongst other benefits, we need the Scottish Government to provide a regulatory and policy landscape that is conducive to that growth and unleashing the potential of our industry in Scotland.
We need the Scottish Government to recognise the opportunities anaerobic digestion presents to help achieve our net zero targets, to decarbonise hard-to-reach sectors such as agriculture and transport, to be a central pillar in the operation of Scotland’s circular economy and to provide coherence to Scotland’s just transition in a way that joins up the oil and gas sector with others such as farming.
Following a debate in the Scottish Parliament on the future of AD in Scotland, we will be using our conference to restate the case for it, outline the industry’s asks of both the Scottish and the UK Governments to enhance the capacity of it in Scotland and engage with key sectors particularly prominent in the economy of the North East, namely oil and gas, food and drink and farming.
For those in those industries who are interested in AD, want to find out more about it, we will outline why and how you can make it part of your organisation’s sustainability plans, particularly as focus turns to scope 3 emissions. Our event will platform sessions that provide practical advice from legislators, regulators and similar organisations that have been there, done it and can share their journey with you.
We will tackle some of the commonly-held misconceptions and provide ample opportunity for you to network and discuss any misapprehensions you have in starting your journey and investing in AD.
For seasoned-AD pros in Scotland, we will also include content that gives you the regulatory and legislative updates you need, thought-leadership and best practice you want and exhibition of the newest technology and techniques to optimise and galvanize your operations.
Come to the ADBA Scottish Conference on 23rd May in Aberdeen. We look forward to seeing you there and to driving forward the growth of AD in Scotland!
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