New £10 million fund for anaerobic digesters offers the South Lakes a chance to create green power

A new £10m Anaerobic Digestion Loan Fund (ADLF) for new plants could allow the South Lakes to pioneer a green energy future says South Lakes MP Tim Farron.

The ADLF will lend amounts ranging from £50,000 - £1m to support the development of new anaerobic digesters in England, in conjunction with investment from the private sector. It aims to support 300,000 tonnes of annual capacity to divert food waste from landfill by 2015.

Defra announced the fund last week. Lending will be asset based and can include industrial units, plant and machinery, and groundwork. The projects will be selected through a competitive process in four phases, the first of which will run from July-October 2011.

Tim said: "I want to get Defra and the council around the table and see if this is something we can support in the South Lakes. To me this seems like a win-win scheme, less waste, green energy and allowing farmers to diversify and support their core farming businesses."