Washington DC has unveiled its US$470 million waste-to-energy project that produces a net 10 megawatts (MW) of electricity from the wastewater treatment process.
The project provides clean, renewable energy to power one-third of the water treatment plant's energy needs, and is the first utility provider to bring the technology to North America. The facilities include a de-watering building, 32 thermal hydrolysis vessels, four concrete 24-metre high anaerobic digesters that hold 14,000 cubic metres of solids each and three turbines the size of jet engines.
George Hawkins, CEO and General Manager of DC Water, said: "This project embodies a shift from treating used water as waste to leveraging it as a resource. We are proud to be the first to bring this innovation to North America for the benefit of our ratepayers, the industry and the environment."
Find out more about DC Water's project here.