As part of a renewable energy project, Sydney Water’s Bondi Wastewater Treatment Plant is currently producing enough energy from waste to power the entire plant.
New South Wales Minister for Primary Industries, Land and Water Niall Blair announced the project milestone at an inspection of the plant’s process.
“The NSW Government is committed to finding new and better ways to lower the amount of electricity we use from the grid, not only to benefit the environment, but also to reduce operating costs of utilities and lower customers’ bills,” Mr Blair said.
“This project is yet another great example of Sydney Water using research and innovation to turn Biogas into renewable energy to power the entire plant, which benefits the environment and reduces operating costs.
“Not only will this project minimise the impact on the electricity grid network, it will also be able to return 13 per cent net energy back to the grid – which is enough to power about 150 households a year,” Mr Blair said.
New South Wales Member for Vaucluse Gabrielle Upton said the project will be of great benefit to the environment and local residents.
“It is great to see the Bondi Plant which treats the waste of 300,000 people in the area, will now be able to turn a waste product into a valuable resource for our community,” Ms Upton said.
“The renewable energy process will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions of around 8,000 tonnes a year from Bondi alone, and this is a great outcome for our local environment.”
Sydney Water is generating more than 20 per cent of its total energy needs across its network through a number of innovative renewable energy projects. This has also reduced greenhouse emissions by over 70,000 tonnes a year.