The UK entered the age of cow-power yesterday when the country’s first dung-fuelled power station was fired up for trials.

Located in the Devon town of Holsworthy, and commissioned by the German-based firm Farmatic, the pioneering £7.7 million ($12.1 million) facility will operate on around 1.6 million tonnes of slurry each year, producing around 1.4 megawatts of electricity at full capacity.

The process reportedly generates no smells. The fact that the dung undergoes a pasteurising process while it is being exhausted of its methane content means also the waste material is entirely safe for use as a fertiliser.

Dung-fuelled power stations are popular in Germany and Denmark, with each operating about 20 large-scale plants.

Share this story: