A plant which produces gas from household waste has been launched in Swindon.

The bio-substitute natural gas (BioSNG) facility has a capacity of 22GWh and will process 100,000 tonnes of household waste.

It will be used to supply gas to homes and businesses as well as fuel Heavy Good Vehicles.

According to developers National Grid Gas Distribution, Advance Plasma Power and Progressive Energy, the technology also has the potential to provide up to 100TWh of green gas per year.

That’s enough to fuel all of Britain’s HGVs or meet one third of domestic heating demand.

The BioSNG plant is also expectd to save around 500 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually.

Chris Train, Chief Executive at National Grid Gas Distribution said: “Developing green technologies such as BioSNG means our customers can keep on using our network and their existing household appliances for affordable energy which will also be more sustainable and eco friendly.

“Green gas fuelled vehicles also cause much less pollution than diesel and are particularly suitable for inner cities. Making gas from household waste also reduces the amount of waste sent to landfill.”