Eco-friendly plans to generate power using waste from a crisp factory proved the real McCoy for Durham County councillors yesterday.
Farmer Philip Johnson asked Durham County Council for permission to produce electricity – enough to heat 1,200 homes – from potato waste from the Walkers’ crisp factory, in Peterlee.
With the request granted, about 1,000 tonnes of potatoes a year will be pumped through an anaerobic digester, along with about 7,000 tonnes of agricultural crops and 2,000 tonnes of manure.
That will generate 500kw of electricity for the National Grid and 8,000 tonnes of fertiliser.
