United Utilities has submitted plans for a £140 million project to introduce a new Advanced Anaerobic Digestion (AAD) facility at Ellesmere Port Wastewater Treatment Works.
If approved, the facility will replace an existing anaerobic digestion unit with updated technology designed to increase the amount of biogas generated from wastewater sludge while using considerably less energy.
Advanced anaerobic digestion units break down material faster and more completely than standard systems. They also reach higher temperatures, which destroy harmful bacteria and reduce the volume of sludge remaining at the end of the process.
The project is part of United Utilities’ efforts to reduce its operational carbon emissions. It also supports the UK’s wider transition to low-carbon energy and contributes to Net Zero 2050 targets.
Tom Lissett, United Utilities’ Bioresources and Green Energy Director, said the upgraded facility will play an important role in meeting future wastewater treatment requirements while helping to reduce carbon emissions.
He added that the facility is designed to deliver benefits now and enable future innovations, including the ability to increase biogas production and capture CO₂ when new technologies become more readily available.
Ellesmere Port Wastewater Treatment Works is one of United Utilities’ largest sites in Cheshire. It will continue to operate as both a wastewater treatment works and bioresources treatment center, using advanced anaerobic digestion to improve how the by-product from wastewater treatment is processed.
By making use of existing land and infrastructure, the project has been designed to minimize its footprint and avoid expansion. The facility will continue to operate as normal throughout the project.
The scheme is part of United Utilities’ wider program to improve rivers and waterways across the North West. It comes as the company continues to deliver the largest investment in water and wastewater infrastructure for a century.
United Utilities is investing more than £13 billion to protect and enhance more than 500 km of rivers, lakes, and bathing waters while safeguarding drinking water supplies for millions of customers across the region.
Source: United Utilities
