The start of civils installations at Yorkshire Water's Blackburn Meadows site this month marks a significant step in the journey to decarbonising heat for thousands of homes in Sheffield.
The five-month civils programme, co-ordinated by our unregulated commercial business Green Gas Solutions, will enable more biomethane to be injected into the local gas network.
This programme of work will lay the foundation for the delivery of gas-to-grid equipment in autumn 2025, with commissioning expected by the end of the year. Full commercial operation is expected in the first half of 2026. Essential infrastructure such as equipment bases, drainage systems, ducting and roadways will be installed between now and the end of the year.
Once operational, the Blackburn Meadows plant will supply enough green gas to meet the annual heat demand of around 4,000 homes. This is one of two Green Gas Solutions biomethane projects ongoing with Yorkshire Water: combined with the construction project just starting out at Knostrop site in Leeds, these sites will supply enough green gas to meet the annual heat demand of around 10,000 homes with renewable energy. Together, these two sites will generate 0.125TWh of green gas each year – meaningfully contributing to the UK's biomethane potential, which is forecast to reach 2.6TWh annually from sewage sludge alone.
This progress comes at a pivotal time. With the UK targeting 50 TWh of biomethane production by 2030, the sector is poised to surpass the output of the UK’s nuclear fleet (currently 37.3 TWh).
- SGN targeting one million homes equivalent on green gas by 2031
- 10% of the gas delivered through our gas network in 2031 will be biomethane
- We want to harness the 120TWh total UK potential biomethane production capacity by 2050
Annabel West, Head of Green Gas Solutions at SGN, said: “This milestone at Blackburn Meadows is a fantastic example of how collaboration and innovation can unlock the full potential of biomethane.
"It’s inspiring to see infrastructure being built that will soon deliver real, measurable carbon savings for thousands of homes. Projects like this are not only helping us decarbonise heat — they’re also laying the groundwork for a thriving green gas economy across the UK.”
The UK's wastewater sector has the potential to generate enough biogas to heat over 360,000 homes annually. Green Gas Solutions are continuing to target regulated water companies to increase the amount of biomethane flowing through the existing pipeline infrastructure, following its partnerships established with Yorkshire Water and Thames Water.
Elsewhere, the potential for even greater climate impact is clear. Should the plant be upgraded to deliver CO₂ capture at both of Yorkshire Water's sites, 15,000 tonnes of biogenic CO₂ could be generated annually. This CO₂ could be used in industry or permanently sequestered, opening the door to carbon removal credits — an emerging and potentially lucrative market.
Another innovation under development is a propane ‘trim’ solution, pioneered by Green Gas Solutions, which dynamically adjusts propane blending based on real-time network conditions. This could reduce costs for biomethane producers and further enhance carbon savings.
