Last Friday, City officials joined the Philadelphia Water Department and Ameresco as Mayor Nutter cut the ribbon to mark the official opening of PWD’s new biogas co-generation facility at the Northeast Water Pollution Control Plant. This co-generation facility is Philadelphia’s first wastewater biogas-to-energy facility. It uses methane, a byproduct of sewage treatment, to generate about 5.6 megawatts of power for the Northeast Pollution Control Plant, producing approximately 85% of all electrical energy currently used by the facility. It is also expected to reduce carbon emissions by 22,000 tons. Ameresco, Inc. helps support renewable energy solutions for facilities throughout North America and has partnered with PWD on the co-gen facility.
“This project is an example of PWD’s commitment to develop waste recovery programs at all of our facilities as part of our pledge to be a sustainable and cost-conscious utility,” remarked Water Commissioner Howard Neukrug at the ribbon cutting. “Recovering the hidden fuel in our wastewater treatment processes helps to diversify our energy portfolio, while improving the environment through innovative, green technology.”
Visit our energy efficiency page for more information about this facility, and PWD’s other sustainable energy programs.
