GOVERNMENT plans to pay less for renewable energy created in North Yorkshire have led to criticism from energy producers.

Officials from the Department of Energy and Climate Change have announced that producers of energy from food and animal waste will be paid only 9p per kilowatt-hour instead of the 11p agreed last summer.

The UK’s largest anaerobic digestion site is planned at the Selby Renewable Energy Park, formerly the Tate & Lyle site.

Such sites convert animal and food waste into gas, which is used to produce electricity and sold to the National Grid.

Shaun Flynn, business development manager of the park, said the Government’s decision was disappointing.

“Our facility is still going ahead, and will still be the largest anaerobic digester in the country, treating 165,000 tonnes of waste each year,” he said.

“The change in Feed In Tariff (FIT) is disappointing though, and would cost us around £350,000 each year.”

The digesters have been championed by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), as a promising new direction for rural economies.

Larger sites also draw in socalled “gate money” for taking in waste from the food industry which would otherwise go to landfill sites. Selby MP John Grogan said he intended to question the Government about the drop in tariff, and said anaerobic digestion could be the way forward.

“All forms of renewable energy should be encouraged and invested in, not just wind power,” said Mr Grogan.

“I do intend to question the Government about this change in tariff before Parliament dissolves.”

“We would welcome Mr Grogan’s question in the Commons, and would like to see more support for this method of renewable energy,”

said Mr Flynn.

“There is a lot of noise being made by the Government about anaerobic digestion, but we are just not seeing the support.”