The WWTP completes the installation of two electric power generation engines that will reduce more than 1,760 tons of CO2 per year

Benidorm Wastewater Treatment Plant (EDAR) has already completed the installation of two cogeneration engines for the self-consumption of biogas and electricity generation. These new engines have replaced the previous ones in the WWTP, which were 15 years old and had already reached their useful life.

This morning the mayor Toni Pérez and the Councilor for the Water Cycle, José Ramón González de Zárate, visited the WWTP facilities to see first-hand how the new infrastructure works.

The reason for the replacement was motivated by the fact that the municipal technicians had warned that in a very short period, they would be out of service, which would cause the consumption of electrical energy to have to come from the general network. To avoid this, the City Council attended a call for FEDER funds and requested to provide the WWTP with these two state-of-the-art modules with an electrical power of 330 kilowatts each and generating 400V, 50 Hz, and an electrical yield of 37.5%.

The biogas that is generated through the 'digestion' of the sludge from the treatment plant is the fuel used by these cogeneration equipment so that the electrical energy they generate is injected into the supply of the WWTP treatment equipment for self-consumption. Taking into account the power of the installed equipment and the electrical consumption of the plant, at least half of its consumption is used through biogas.

This amount of biogas, however, varies depending on the time of year so that in the summer season the generation of electricity is much higher because the flow of water that is treated in the WWTP is also higher.

The new motor generators reach 330 kilowatts, 30% more than the previous ones, and are already fully operational. Calculations indicate that the reduction of annual CO2 emissions will exceed 1,760 tons. The investment has amounted to 610,597 euros and the eligible cost, that is, the pure acquisition of the equipment, has meant 300,000 euros of which the IDAE finances 50%.

“This new equipment allows us to operate with a huge saving in electrical energy, an aspect that is now essential due to the increase in the price of electricity by more than 50%. With these savings we can allocate more economic resources to make improvements and investments instead of paying the electricity bill” explained the mayor.