A total of 17 million cubic meters of biomethane will be injected into the gas grid from a facility at the company’s Bristol sewage treatment works every year.
The anaerobic digestion plant which produces the gas is fed by 75 million cubic meters of sewage waste, as well as 35,000 tonnes of food waste every year.
Alongside injecting the biomethane into the gas grid, GENeco is also using the gas to fuel a “Bio-Bus”, which will run from Bath to Bristol airport.
GENeco general manager Mohammed Saddiq said: “Through treating sewage and food that’s unfit for human consumption we’re able to produce enough biomethane to provide a significant supply of gas to the national gas network that’s capable of powering almost 8,500 homes as well as fuelling the Bio-Bus.”
He added: “Using biomethane in this way not only provides a sustainable fuel, but also reduces our reliance on traditional fossil fuels.”
Charlotte Morton, chief executive of the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA), said: “GENeco’s Bio-Bus is an excellent demonstration of biomethane’s unique benefits; decarbonising areas other renewables can’t reach.
“A home generated green gas, biomethane is capable of replacing around 10 per cent of the UK’s domestic gas needs and is currently the only renewable fuel available for HGVs.”