The first hydro-electric plant in Australia to generate power from treated sewage has been switched on at North Head sewage treatment plant as part of a New South Wales plan to reduce gas emissions and generate green energy
The hydro-electric plant works by capturing energy from treated wastewater falling down a 60- metre shaft and will generate enough green energy to power almost 1,000 homes for a year.
This plant alone will reduce Sydney Water’s greenhouse gas emissions by over 12,000 tonnes a year - the equivalent of taking 3,000 cars off the road. This project will take us one step closer to making Sydney Water’s operations carbon neutral for energy and electricity use by 2020.
Thanks to this new hydro-electric plant and a recently installed methane gas cogeneration unit North Head sewage treatment plant can now generate about 40 per cent of its own power.
The new hydro-electric plant was built by Sydney Water’s energy partners Worley Parsons and Energetics and supported by the NSW Government’s Climate Change Fund.
WEG has been an important part of this project supplying a high efficiency generator with special dimensions to reach the Worley Parsons and Sydney Water requirements, say Jose Longo (Project Manager of WEG Australia).
Generator size:
- Induction Generator – MGP710 2100kW 10 Poles 11,000V V1 (Vertical shaft down construction).
- Weight: 16,000kg
- Dimensions: 3.7m (height) x 3.1m (length) x 2.1m (width)
- Delivered in Australia in January 2009.
