Thames Water Launches Green Biogas Project

Utility company Thames Water has announced that it will be using the sewage at its Deepham treatment works to create green biogas that will provide power for homes and vehicles, working with gas distribution network SGN to build a new biomethane plant at the works in Edmonton.

The £7.3 million scheme will prevent thousands of tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere each and every year, with the gas generated producing up to 700 cubic metres of methane every hour and six million cubic metres annually, which is enough to heat 3,500 homes.

In addition, the new plant will significantly improve air quality around Deephams and drive down the need to burn off excess gas. Work is set to begin on the facility in August and is likely to be completed at the start of 2022.

Thames Water’s capital delivery director Francis Paonessa explained that the installation of the new technology means the supplier is able to give back to the local communities, with leftover gas from the treatment process used to heat local homes with renewable energy.

He went on to say: “We will always look for innovative new ways to reduce our environmental impact and produce renewable energy, which will not only benefit us but our customers and the environment as a whole.

“We’re already self-generating substantial amounts of renewable energy across our vast estate, meeting around a quarter of our total electricity needs, and are determined to find other opportunities to ensure we leave our planet in a better place for future generations.”

It’s possible that similar schemes to the Deephams project could be introduced across the region, which would have the potential to offset 150,00 tonnes of CO2 each year by 2030.

Thames Water has also just published the final stage of its roadmap to achieve net zero carbon emissions across its entire operational base by 2030. Since 1990, the company has succeeded in cutting its emissions by nearly 70 per cent and intends to be carbon negative by 2040.

Its comprehensive plan includes making use of renewable energy sources from waste, solar power and heat recovery schemes, reducing the use of fossil fuels across the business as a whole and working alongside sustainable suppliers and partners.

Last year, it succeeded in producing more than 311GWh of renewable electricity across its sites, as well as recovering 150GWh of renewable heat from its operations, which has helped reduce its dependency on natural gas.

Thames Water is also the biggest generator of renewable electricity across the entire water industry, self-generating over 23 per cent of the power it needs and investing in 100 per cent certified renewable electricity for the remainder.

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