Collaboration brings cost and carbon savings as RAF Marham becomes first airbase powered by green energy

13 Feb 2019

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RAF Marham, home to the UK’s F-35 multi role combat jets, is the first military airbase to be powered by green energy. The Defence Minister, Tobias Ellwood, recently visited the completed biogas plant that will provide sustainable energy to RAF Marham, and officially opened the new site on Amey’s Regional Prime Central contract.

The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) had been working collaboratively with Amey, the Crown Commerical Service Utilities & Fuels Company, DIO’s electricity supplier EDF and their supply chain partner Future Biogas on the project for EDF to supply baseload power to RAF Marham since 2015.

Amey was represented by Steve Fulcher, Business Coherence & Collaborative Working Lead, at the official opening and three of the Marham team. In a speech made during the event about the project’s success and sustainability, we were recognised for the parts we played during the project.

Members of Amey’s team at RAF Marham undertook a feasibility study on behalf of the Ministry of Defence (MOD), in partnership with Arthur Kennedy and Kevin Muttitt, Energy Division, to highlight the benefits from this supply of clean energy. Amey also provided the Safe System of Work, in accordance with JSP 375, for the project on behalf of the MOD and provided local site knowledge and technical support to the Future Biogas delivery team, East Solutions.

The energy provided by the new biogas plant is sustainable, green and provides substantial financial savings over grid-imported energy to the airbase. There’s an annual saving of up to £0.29 million per year, our carbon emissions will be reduced by 14,000 tonnes of CO2 annually, which contributes to the MOD’s sustainable development strategy, and the plant also increases the power resilience at RAF Marham by providing multiple pathways to electrical resources.

This project has huge potential for growth and will encourage other parts of the MOD and Amey to engage in similar initiatives helping to reduce costs across the estate and reduce our environmental footprint.

(Image of F-35 multi role combat jet at RAF Marham provided by the Ministry of Defence, Crown Copyright)

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