New pig dung power plant proposal

The pigs' dung would be mixed with kitchen waste to produce a fuel

Homes and businesses in Derbyshire could soon be powered by electricity generated from pig dung.

Midland Pig Producers is seeking planning permission for a pig farm with a biogas plant at a 30-acre site near Foston Prison in south Derbyshire.

It is thought that hundreds of properties could ultimately be powered by the plant.

The firm is hosting a public consultation at a portable building on the site on Monday.

'Sustainable'

The plant would create power by mixing pig dung with kitchen waste, which is then put through a generator and turned into electricity.

Martin Barker managing director of Midland Pig Producers said the process would be odourless.

He said: "I was looking at how we could make our pig farming sustainable, as we had lost a lot of money in pigs in our company in recent years."

The electricity produced would initially power the unit itself and Foston Prison. Surplus supplies would then be fed into the National Grid.

The development would be able to house 2,500 sows.

The firm said the unit has been designed in consultation with animal welfare groups.