Rainbarrow Farm AD

Our Background

Providing essential renewable gas and electricity to Poundbury, Dorchester and Dorset.

Rainbarrow Farm anaerobic digestion (AD) facility is located in Dorset and was created to supply renewable energy to both Poundbury and the wider area.

The site processes agricultural feedstocks supplied by local farmers, primarily maize and rye silage. Using high-quality AD technology, the feedstock is broken down to produce biogas and digestate:

The biogas is cleaned and then fed directly into the national gas lines. These lines run directly into Poundbury (and beyond) meaning that it is local business and developments that benefit from green gas.
Some of the gas is converted to electricity. In part, this electricity is used to power the AD facility, with the remainder being fed into the electrical lines which serve the local community.

Rainbarrow Farm is essential in supplying local gas and facilitating project development both in Poundbury and the surrounding area around the site.

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Digestate and Bloomin Amazing

Digestate is a byproduct of the anaerobic digestion process. It provides a high-quality and environmentally friendly alternative to artificial fertiliser that is produced by fossil fuels. Its high nutrition content allows for a reduced carbon footprint and is given back to farmers, enabling them to continue growing crops and food all year round. Some of these crops are then sold back to our AD plant to produce even more green energy.

Not only does our digestate support local farmers, it is also bagged and sold as a fertiliser to nationwide garden centres under the brand ‘Bloomin Amazing’ This puts the green credentials of Dorset onto a national scale.

CO2 capture

Another huge advantage of Rainbarrow’s AD activity is the capture of CO2. This CO2 is a by-product of the process but instead of being released into the atmosphere, it is captured, processed and turned into food grade CO2. The AD facility has contracts with South West based drinks companies who use the CO2 to put fizz into your beer and soft drinks. This serves the dual purpose of reusing CO2 whilst preventing the production of new CO2.

How we are helping Poundbury, Dorchester and Dorset

Rainbarrow Farm AD currently provides enough renewable gas to power 3,500 homes and renewable electricity to power 628 homes. This makes us one of the biggest renewable energy generators in Dorset, something we are very proud of.

3500

Number of Dorset homes powered by our gas this year

3000000

Investment in the local economy per year (£)

628

Number of Dorset homes powered by our electricity this year

The Circular Economy

Anaerobic digestion works best when it works with and supports the local community, economy and businesses. We call this interaction the Circular Economy.

The Circular Economy is an important part of ENGIE UK’s work. Supporting the local community through our Rainbarrow plant helps contribute to Net Zero goals. With our site’s many additional activities and initiatives, Rainbarrow is the perfect example of how a business fully embracing the Circular Economy can thrive – as well as helping the wider community to thrive too.

For farmers

Rainbarrow Farm AD promotes a strong relationship with the agricultural community in local areas and farmers. It seeks to provide both contract and price certainty to its farmers that will enable it to invest in land, machinery and jobs.

Farmers also receive back the high-quality sustainable fertiliser, digestate. This reduces their reliance of fossil fuel fertiliser and enables them to reduce their carbon footprint.

For businesses

Rainbarrow’s multiple activity streams enable it to actively promote the green credentials of Poundbury and Dorset. This site provides jobs onsite and within Poundbury’s wider community (including feedstock production management, fertiliser management and maintenance services). The site also provides local gardens with fertilisers, and the food and drink industry with CO2. In turn, this enables us to invest money directly back into Poundbury’s and Dorset’s local economy.

For community

We supply green gas directly to local homes across Dorset. Our AD site also provides local jobs for Poundbury residents, as well as attracting investment into the local area.

Find out more about the circular economy

Find out more about ENGIE UK’s work