AstraZeneca to invest GBP 100m in biomethane plant in UK

UK pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca (LON:AZN) has pledged to invest GBP 100 million (USD 124.6m/EUR 116.1m) as part of a 15-year partnership with local biomass operator Future Biogas to set up the first subsidy-free industrial-scale biomethane plant in the country.

The new facility will be designed with bioenergy carbon capture and storage capability (BECCS) and is expected to supply 100 GWh of biogas annually to four sites of the pharma giant in the UK.

The site, which is expected to become operational in 2025, will use locally-grown crops as feedstock and will see bioenergy crops grown as part of diverse crop rotations and regenerative agriculture practices. Its output, equal to the needs of more than 8,000 homes, will be delivered to AstraZeneca’s sites in Macclesfield, Cambridge, Luton and Speke.

Earlier this year, AstraZeneca announced a partnership with Vanguard Renewables to secure the delivery of biogas to all its US sites by the end of 2026.

(GBP 1 = USD 1.247/EUR 1.162)

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