Plant 'back up and running' a year after explosion

A food waste recycling plant is "back up and running" a year after a lightning strike caused a huge explosion on its site.

On 2 October 2023, an anaerobic digestion (AD) tank at the Severn Trent Green Power facility in Cassington, Oxfordshire, was hit multiple times by lightning, causing the gases within it to ignite and explode.

The company said the incident had resulted in "no ongoing ramifications" to its operations.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said that it had taken no further action after "a detailed review" of the site.

Severn Trent Green Power has 11 AD facilities and four composting sites that collectively recycle about half a million tonnes of organic waste each year.

Nobody was injured in the Cassington site blast and Severn Trent Green Power operations director Andrew Simm called the incident "short-lived".

Mr Simm added that the facility had been "back up and running at full capacity" since the summer, thanks to "the hard work of our teams".

Repair work was carried out to refurbish and replace three of the five AD tank roofs damaged in the fire, along with part of an adjacent building.

The company said each digester had been re-cladded and re-roofed, as well as upgraded to the latest available materials.

"While repairs took place, the facility continued to operate at reduced capacity, ensuring we were still able to accept food waste for the local authorities and customers who rely on our service,” a spokesperson said.

A HSE spokesperson said it had carried out a visit to the site following the explosion.

This included a "detailed review of the health and safety arrangements", but did not result in a formal investigation being opened.

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