AN ENVIRONMENTAL impact assessment will not be required for a planned 'anaerobic digestion' facility in Girvan, council bosses have ruled.

Grissan Renewable Energy has put forward initial plans for the facility adjacent to the William Grant & Sons distillery on the Grangestone industrial estate.

The plant would process approximately 65,0000 tonnes of distillery by-products feedstock per year from the distillery, with the potential to feed this back into the national grid as renewable gas.

The facility would comprise of a 2.6m deep concrete containment bund, measuring 9,800 square metres in area, housing five digestion tanks in addition to a liquid storage tank and feeder tank.

Outside of the bund there will be two biomethane upgrader units and associated infrastructure.

The biomethane upgrader units will convert the biogas into biomethane for injection to the gas grid.

Additional service infrastructure including vehicle access, parking and drainage management systems would also be created.

Planning documents state that the facility would be designed and located to minimise noise impacts that may arise.

They explain: The biomethane upgraders, compressors and associated equipment will be housed in containers with acoustic insulation.

"Silencers would be fitted on the ventilation and exhaust systems and on-site vehicles would be fitted with white noise reversing alarms to minimise noise levels emitted."

The company behind the plans had asked the local authority whether an environmental impact assessment would be needed alongside a future planning application. 

However, the council has now confirmed that one will not be needed, paving the way for a future application.