Meeting of the Parliament 06 January 2026
I congratulate Emma Harper on securing this debate. We should be debating anaerobic digestion and biogas, which are really important as they can help us to meet our net zero ambitions and they can also strengthen our rural economy. I also thank the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association.
The fact that there are now more than 90 AD plants in Scotland tells us something. We can see the success of AD in the Lothians. Facilities such as the Millerhill plant are taking food waste from households and businesses and turning it into renewable gas and nutrient-rich digestate, cutting emissions and supporting local agriculture. The plant will heat more than 3,000 homes in Shawfair through a local heat network. It will save about 2,500 tonnes of CO2, which is the equivalent of taking 1,200 cars off our roads. That represents a solution to some of the issues that we face. We also have the Bangley Quarry Biogas AD plant near Haddington, which my colleagues Martin Whitfield and Douglas Alexander recently visited.
We should not miss the opportunities for the creation of jobs and environmental benefits. Instead of allowing methane to escape from manure, slurry and food waste, AD captures it and turns it into a clean, usable energy source. It transforms a climate liability into a climate solution. We should be doing more of that. It provides a kind of dual benefit.