Energy infrastructure firm says biogas is becoming an important part of the UK energy mix.

Energy infrastructure firm Fulcrum has announced it is to target the UK’s expanding renewables market by providing pipes to link anaerobic digestion (AD) plants to the gas network.

The new venture, which will see Fulcrum fit pipes to feed biogas into the UK gas distribution network, marks an expansion of its core business of linking homes and businesses to the gas network.

“Biogas is becoming an important part of the UK’s energy mix and there is real potential for it to take an even greater role in the future,” Martin Donnachie, Fulcrum’s chief executive, in a statement.

The Sheffield-based firm has previously delivered a series of high profile projects, including providing gas infrastructure for the Olympic Park, Athletes Village and the Olympic Cauldron for the London 2012 games. It is also contracted by British Gas to provide connections to properties until at least 2018.

Donnachie said Fulcrum’s gas infrastructure experience means it is well placed to also support AD operators in the construction and commissioning of new plants. “Our track record in the gas industry, together with our excellent working relationship with the Gas Networks, will be of real benefit to the sector and support its ambitions to increase its contribution to the UK’s energy requirements,” he said.

Biogas is a methane rich gas created from the anaerobic digestion of sewage, food and industrial waste.

Figures released by DECC last summer showed AD capacity outside of the water industry increased by nearly a third during 2014, from 164MW to 216MW. Meanwhile, industry insiders say the recent increase in funding for biogas projects through the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme could result in a major rise in the number of AD plants in the coming years from the 40 currently to around 180 by 2021.