Plans for 'UK's first' synthetic fuel energy park

Plans have been revealed for a new synthetic fuel energy park on the edge of a village near Swindon.

Rivan Industries wants to set up the "UK's first commercial-scale" plant to produce methane gas on a greenfield site to the north of Blunsdon.

Consisting of 15 shipping containers, the plant will be powered by a field of solar panels to produce renewable synthetic methane gas from limestone, water and electricity.

A public consultation is due to run until the beginning of May while a full planning application is expected to be submitted in June.

The Swindon Company has been testing the technology at Wroughton Science and Technology Park, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

If approved, the company believes the "clean fuel" produced at the Blunsdon plant on Little Rose Lane could offset millions of tonnes of carbon emissions from fossil fuel gas usage.

Annabel MacGregor, from Rivan Industries, said people are concerned about site traffic and "why we want to put it on a green field in the country".

"To be honest we'd love to be on an industrial estate - but we are a new company and we don't have a huge choice about who will lease us a site," she said.

"We want to show people that we are taking their concerns seriously. And after a short construction period of six months, it's all self-contained.

"All it will need is visits from engineers in one car."

More than 130 local people attended a special consultation event for "neighbours" organised by the company.

Councillor Ken Saunders, from Highworth Town Council, said he thought the plant sounded "like a good idea if they can make it work".

"If this can be done at scale. It could be very good," he said.

"I'd like to see the details of all the plans in the full application, especially the environmental impact assessment."

Richard Parry, another visitor, said: "If things like traffic and the land are managed properly, and the technology works it could be really good that it started here."

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