Despite a developer’s best laid plans, operating an AD plant is rarely a straightforward process. A smooth commissioning phase followed by a stable operational period, delivering the return predicted in the business model, is in reality a fairly unlikely series of events. In fact, the UK AD industry is currently operating at an average load factor of 73% . To put this into context, a 1 MWe plant running at 70% efficiency is losing a potential income of £1,000 per day, even before factoring in feedstock costs.