Progressive Energy has sought consent for a  £150M biomass to BioSNG plant. The Protos plant is expected to start production in 2022 within the Energy Innovation District (EID) which brings together  Cheshire & Warrington LEP, Cheshire West and Chester Council and the University of Chester energy users, network owners, innovators and partners working alongside.

It is expected that a further eight similar facilities could be built across the UK during the 2020s.

The plant will generate gas from unrecyclable wood and refuse derived fuel. This gas will be used in the transport sector, generating enough gas to power up to 1,000 low carbon HGVs and buses every year.

Alternatively, BioSNG can be injected into the existing gas network, providing the opportunity for the plant at Protos to export fuel to the wider UK without the need for any road movements..The plant will also be configured in the future to produce renewable hydrogen.