Sean Thomas
The day-to-day management of South Africa’s first commercial biogas plant have shifted to biogas expert Anaergia Africa, part of the Anaergia international group of companies, as from July.
Anaergia Africa will manage the plant in a two-year contract.
The plant was previously managed by South Africa’s Bosch Munitech.
Bio2Watt MD Sean Thomas says there is limited expertise in operating industrial scale biogas plants in South Africa.
“This is the first biogas project on this scale in the country. We wanted to draw on Anaergia’s international expertise in operational biogas plants and we were also buoyed by their local presence.
“We are thrilled to be able to tap into this expertise to help us achieve the highest safety and reliability standards at the Bronkhorstspruit plant.”
Anaergia has built more than 300 biogas plants worldwide.
Bio2Watt began supplying green energy to BMW South Africa’s (SA’s) Rosslyn plant, in Pretoria, in October last year.
BMW SA produces the 3 Series sedan for the local and export markets.
Bio2Watt’s Bronkhorstspruit plant is located on the premises of one of South Africa’s larger feedlots, Beefcor, in what is an agricultural stronghold in Gauteng.
This location provides the plant with proximity to key fuel supplies, grid access and sufficient water, supplied by Beefcor’s stormwater collection dams.
The City of Tshwane is also a key supplier of waste to the project.
The biogas process relies on organic waste, which is directed into a digester where biogas is produced, which then goes into a gas engine to produce electricity.
The electricity is fed into the power grid for uptake by power purchasers, such as BMW SA.
“We believe that there are tremendous opportunities to convert organic waste into clean energy in Africa,” says Anaergia CEO Dr Andrew Benedek.
“We are especially pleased to be working with Bio2Watt, as it pioneers the conversion of agricultural waste streams into reliable renewable energy”.
Converting organic waste into electrical energy, primarily for digester heating purposes, is a well-proved technology, which has gained traction worldwide as the swing to renewable energy gains momentum.
“We have created a precedent in South Africa to show that it can be done,” says Thomas.
The Bio2Watt plant in Bronkhorstspruit has the capacity to generate 4.6 MW.
Given the large number of cattle in the country and the proven viability of biogas, Bio2Watt believes there is “massive potential” for biogas as a renewable-energy source in South Africa.
Bio2Watt has submitted a bid to the Department of Energy’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme for a 4.8 MW project on a dairy farm north of Cape Town.
Bio2Watt hopes to soon learn whether this bid was successful.
Thomas says his company is involved in a number of potential new biogas projects in South Africa and Africa, in partnership with Anaergia Africa as its key technology provider.
“We are looking at establishing large industrial biogas plants on the periphery of large cities,” he explains.
“We are also in discussion with industry for on-site co- and trigeneration, modelled on the way we work with BMW in South Africa.
“Our current markets outside South Africa are Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana and the Ivory Coast.”