The Renescience site is set to become a biomethane production facility
Plans to turn a controversial waste site into a biomethane plant look set to be approved despite concerns about the smell.
Cheshire West and Chester Council’s planning committee convenes this week which is recommended to return the application for a new facility in Lostock Gralam.
The scheme will see the former Renescience site converted into a biomethane production facility.
Biomethane is a purified version of biogas, produced from the controlled breakdown of organic matter such as food waste. It is considered a greener alternative to fossil fuel-derived gas.
The plan was presented by Northwich Biogas Ltd – a subsidiary of Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners – which bought the site from Ørsted in 2025.
The proposal includes a complete renovation to eliminate the existing municipal waste pre-treatment operation, converting it to a dedicated biogas plant featuring a new digester tank, biomethane upgrade unit, and carbon capture technology.
The planned facility on Griffiths Road will import and process 177,000 tonnes of organic waste and industrial food every year. The biomethane produced will be supplied to the gas grid.
The company says the plant will produce enough gas to power more than 10,000 homes a year. Waste to be decomposed will include industrial food production waste, wash water, grease trap waste, and other organic liquids.
Food waste must be transported by truck. The facility will continue to operate under the HGV number cap of 96 HGV movements per day and employ up to 25 staff.
During the planning consultation, a number of surrounding parish councils and Northwich Town Council raised concerns, particularly about smell, noise and transport.
Recommending approval, the official report said the development would be carried out in accordance with an odor management plan with special control measures.
He added: “The proposal will extend the existing anaerobic digestion facilities, increase the capacity to manage organic waste and food separated from the source and enable biogas to renew biomethane for injection into the national gas grid.
“It will also generate digestate for use as an agricultural biofertiliser and capture carbon dioxide for commercial and industrial use.”
The company says the plant will also capture 28,100 tonnes of biogenic CO2 – formed from organic waste – a year, providing sustainable CO2 for the food, beverage and manufacturing industries.
The nearly 10-acre site has proven controversial in the past. The original Renescience facility was a global prototype but faced criticism from some locals over traffic and odors.
The meeting took place on Tuesday, October 6, at Ellesmere Port Library.