The first hydro-electric plant in Australia to generate power from treated sewage has been switched on at North Head sewage treatment plant as part of a NSW plan to reduce gas emissions and generate green energy.
Minister for Water, Phil Costa and Minister for Climate Change and the Environment, Frank Sartor, have switched on the new plant, installed as part of our $60 million investment in generating renewable energy.
The hydro-electric plant works by capturing energy from treated wastewater falling down a 60m shaft and will generate enough green energy to power almost 1,000 homes for a year.
The plant will reduce Sydney Water’s greenhouse gas emissions by over 12,000 tonnes a year - the equivalent of taking 3,000 cars off the road.
The North Head sewage treatment plant can now generate about 40 per cent of its own power. It is one of three new hydro-electric plants the NSW Government is installing in Sydney Water’s water and sewerage networks.
The $150 million upgrade to the North Head sewage treatment plant included:
• a recycled water facility that recycles 1.5 million litres of wastewater a day for use in the sewage treatment process and for cleaning on-site. As a result, now 95 per cent of the water used on site is recycled water
• a cogeneration engine that will reduce carbon emissions by turning methane produced during the treatment process into green energy
• a new biosolids management facility to improve waste handling
• a new odour scrubber to reduce odours during wastewater treatment
• modifications to the Northside Storage Tunnel pumping station to improve its performance by minimising the build-up of grit
• two new primary sedimentation tanks to improve the removal of organic solids, oil and grease from wastewater
• new control and monitoring equipment
The new hydro-electric plant was developed by Sydney Water’s energy partners WorleyParsons and Energetics and supported by the NSW Government’s Climate Change Fund.
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