Frequently asked questions

Northwich Biogas Plant is a redevelopment project that will transform an existing waste management facility into a dedicated anaerobic digestion (AD) plant.   The facility will process source segregated organic waste, primarily industrial food waste, to produce biogas. This will be converted into renewable biomethane and injected into the gas grid, replacing fossil fuel derived natural gas.   Renewable gas is currently in much shorter supply than renewable electricity, making increased green gas production a priority for the UK's energy transition.

The facility will be located at Lostock Works on Griffiths Road, an established industrial site that was previously home to Ørsted Renescience®.

Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) bought the Northwich site from Ørsted in October 2025. Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) are overseeing the redevelopment plans and will operate the facility once built.   Founded in 2012, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners P/S (CIP) is today the world’s largest fund manager focusing on greenfield renewable energy investments and the global leader in offshore wind power. The funds managed by CIP focuses on investments in offshore and onshore wind, solar energy, biomass and energy-from-waste, transmission and distribution, reserve capacity, storage, advanced bioenergy and Power-to-X.   CIP manages 13 funds and has to date raised around €35 billion for investments in energy and related infrastructure from more than 160 international institutional investors. CIP has around 700 employees and 12 offices around the world.

The site already has some equipment for anaerobic digestion (AD) and is in an established industrial area used for similar purposes. This makes it ideal for conversion because we can reuse much of the existing infrastructure, utilities and planning permissions. While the technology for producing the biomethane is different, these synergies allow us to deliver a renewable gas facility without developing a new site.

CIP has existing planning permission to treat source segregated organic waste and will be starting up the operation in the coming months. The existing planning permissions, which have already been subject to a non-material amendment, allow for the existing AD infrastructure to be converted to treat source segregated organic waste.   CIP will be applying for separate planning permission to extend the AD capacity from 144,000 tonnes/year to 177,000 tonnes/year and install equipment to allow the export of biomethane. CIP aims to submit the planning application for these additional works to Cheshire West and Chester Council in March 2026. We will update the planning section in the FAQs with more details as they become available.