ISG Blog: 
(29th of May 2026)
On 29 May, members of the Independent Stakeholder Group visited Northumbrian Water’s Howdon Biomethane Plant in Newcastle.
The visit was attended by Brian Matthews, Rupika Madhura and Anisha Poudel, alongside colleagues from Northern Gas Networks and Northumbrian Water.
Howdon produces biogas from local wastewater and sewage sludge through advanced anaerobic digestion. The gas is then cleaned and upgraded into biomethane before being injected into NGN’s gas distribution network, where it can be used by homes and businesses across the region.
The visit gave members a practical view of how biomethane works in the real world. We saw how the site operates, how it is funded, the interface with the gas network, gas quality checks, the link to the control room and the remotely operated valve used as a final line of defence if gas quality is not within specification.
Anisha Poudel, one of the ISG’s future customer representatives, reflected on the value of seeing the site first-hand:
“The visit was valuable because it showed the operational reality on the ground and demonstrated that issues can appear easier from a meeting room than they are in practice.”
It was also a useful reminder that projects like this rely on strong cross-utility collaboration. Biomethane is often discussed as part of future energy strategy, but the visit showed the engineering, operational and regulatory detail needed to make it work safely and reliably for customers.
The ISG aims to undertake at least one physical site visit each year. These visits help members test what we hear in meetings against operational reality. Future visits could include a depot or live work site, with a focus on open-cut work, customer impact and customer engagement.
Our thanks go to Kevin Stobbs and colleagues at Northumbrian Water, and to the NGN team, for organising the visit and explaining the process in detail, I also enjoy getting back on site.