The City of Wilmington is bringing technology that turns waste into energy to its wastewater treatment facility.
City and state officials broke ground Thursday on a new Renewable Energy Biosolids Facility at the city’s Hay Street wastewater plant.
The new $36 million facility will combine landfill and digester gases to create a renewable and self-perpetuating fuel to power the Hay Street operation. The process is also expected to reduce to amount of biosolids or sludge created during wastewater treatment.
Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) Secretary Collin O’Mara says the technology used in this faciloy it makes environmental and economic sense.
“It allows for a much more environmentally sustainable solution to disposing of the sludge. And so there will be a lot less sludge and it will also be turned into a product that has use," said O'Mara. "It’s going to [mean] 80 to 90 percent of the energy used on site generated from landfill gas. So [it's] much cleaner and it really reduces their energy cost.”
O'Mara adds he sees the plant and city reaping additional long-term economic benefits by using this technology.
“Long term energy costs going down will mean more stable rates for folks that are paying their sewer bills. The [lowering of] greenhouse gas emissions means that it is unlikely to face any additional regulation in terms of having to clean up because it already will be one of the cleanest plants in the state. And then having a more predictable disposal of the sludge prevents any additional regulator battles in the future,” said O'Mara.
Construction of the facility is expected to be completed in early 2014.