Law firm Shoosmiths has advised Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK (TMUK) on two major agreements relating to the construction of a state-of-the-art anaerobic digester (AD) plant at the TMUK engine manufacturing facility in Deeside, North Wales (UK).

The new waste to energy plant will be situated next to the Toyota Engine Plant and construction at the £282m privately funded venture will start next month. The Deeside facility, known for producing high-quality engines for Toyota vehicles, is set to lead the way in environmental innovation with this project. The new plant will not only allow the facility to stop the use of fossil fuel in its processes but will also serve as a model for sustainable manufacturing practices within Toyota.

Shoosmiths’ role on the project involved negotiating the power purchase agreement (PPA) for the project which provides green electricity directly via an underground cable, replacing the current grid electricity supply. Additionally, the firm advised on the green gas supply agreement which ensures that the biogas produced by the AD plant will be utilised efficiently at TMUK’s Deeside plant, further reducing the plant’s carbon footprint.

The Shoosmiths team was led by Partner and Head of Energy & Infrastructure sector James Wood-Robertson and Legal Director Jennifer Clarke.

Gary Bawden, senior manager at TMUK, commented: “We are very grateful for the support we have received from Shoosmiths in relation to this challenging project. Working with a partner that understands the complexities of negotiating private wire power purchase and biogas supply agreements was hugely important.”

James added: “It was a pleasure to support TMUK on these agreements which were vital for the successful delivery of this innovative waste to energy project. We are seeing many clients use PPAs as a tool to access green power and support their transition to net zero.”