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Lightning-hit plant set for better protection

Nathan Briant
BBC News
PA Media The aftermath of a large fire caused by a lightning strike which broke out at a processing facility in Oxfordshire. Severn Trent Green Power, a waste management company, confirmed a digester tank was struck by the lightning.PA Media
The damage following the lightning strike and large fire was corrected by summer 2024, the company said

A food waste recycling plant that was the site of a major gas explosion when it was hit by lightning is set to get improved protection.

The fire at Severn Trent Green Power's (STGP) plant near Cassington, north of Oxford, was seen for miles around after it was struck in October 2023.

The company said it "identified the need for additional lightning protection" after the incident, in which no-one was hurt.

The facility was back running at full capacity from summer 2024, STGP said last year.

STGP said if plans are approved it would install 16 large masts, 15 of which would be mounted to digesters, which would be up to 17m (56ft) high.

Another four telescopic air rods would be mounted to the site's reception building and they would be 15.3m (49ft) high.

They would all be made of hot-dipped galvanised steel, which the company said has been chosen for its durability and resistance to corrosion.

The scheme has been submitted to Oxfordshire County Council for approval.

Severn Trent Green Power A bird's eye view of the site from September. All the tanks have been repaired. They have green roofs. It's sunny.Severn Trent Green Power
Each of the damaged digesters was re-clad and re-roofed

STGP said all of the lightning protection at its 11 anaerobic digestion plants will be improved as part of a "substantial upgrade package".

They include sites at Wallingford, also in Oxfordshire, two in the West Midlands, two in the East Midlands and one near Bridgend in South Wales.

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