Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has signed a gas sale agreement (GSA) with Future Biogas in a bid to reduce its Scope 1 emissions.
Nearly 100,000 MWh of domestically produced biomethane will be extracted from Future Biogas’ anaerobic digestion (AD) plants and transported to AstraZeneca’s UK sites via the national gas grid.
Energy from the biomethane facility will be supplied to AstraZeneca’s sites in Macclesfield, Cambridge, Luton and Speke, meeting the heat demands equivalent to over 8,000 homes.
This initiative will facilitate the establishment of the UK’s first unsubsidised Anaerobic Digestion plant – the project is expected to be operational by early 2025, reducing emissions by approximately 20,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent (CO2e).
Juliette White, Vice President, Global Sustainability and Safety, Health and Environment, at AstraZeneca, said: “Today’s commitment of £100 million shows we are serious about decarbonising the discovery, development and manufacture of medicines and securing a sustainable future for our sites across the UK and globally.
“In leading from the front on the commercial adoption of clean heat, we are innovating to expand the usage of renewable energy, contributing to the circular economy and accelerating our progress towards net zero.”
Future Biogas Chief Executive Officer Philipp Lukas said: “The opportunity to combine unsubsidised biomethane production with regenerative farming benefits local farms and supports the growing focus on soil health and sustainable food production.”
