WHILE it might be something you would rather not think about, your sewage is being used to create renewable energy in a multi-million dollar project.
Work is currently underway on a $43 million project to increase the production of renewable energy at the Western Treatment Plant in Werribee.
General manager of Asset Planning at Melbourne Water, Paul Pretto, said the main part would be the replacement of a cover on a lagoon.
Dr Pretto said doubling the area of the new lagoon cover to more than four times the size of the MCG would allow more biogas to be captured from the lagoon.
“The biogas, which is a bi-product of sewage treatment, is then used to generate electricity at the Western Treatment Plant,” Dr Pretto said.
The Werribee plant treats about 52 per cent of Melbourne’s sewage, or about 415 million litres a day.
Dr Pretto said two new power generators that were recently installed at the plant would also increase on-site renewable energy by 95 per cent of the plant’s annual usage.
“This will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by a further 24,400 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, which is the equivalent to taking about 5600 cars off the road,” he said.
The plant is expected to be energy self-sufficient by mid-2012, following installation of one further power generator. By then, the plant is likely to be producing more power than it needs and the excess electricity will be exported to other Melbourne Water sites.
