Leicestershire plant upgrades sewage farm to create more electricity

A sewage treatment farm in Leicestershire is upgrading in order to create more energy from the waste it treats.

Water company Severn Trent is investing £45 million into the plant at Wanlip, which is on the northern edge of the English county. The facility produces nearly 200 million litres of sewage every day from the regions 600,000 population.

However, the equipment it is currently using is rather outdated. It was built in the 1960s to treat sewage sludge and produce gas, which then produces renewable power and is also exported to the national grid. These outdated systems are in need of renewing, according to the water firm, who have invested millions into planned regeneration works.

Severn Trent project manager Dale Collison said: "We can generate a form of clean energy by harnessing the methane that is created when sewage sludge breaks down, and we have been required by OFWAT (the independent water regulator) to do this at more of our sites by 2015."

This upgrade is likely to be a rewarding investment for the company, who can use extra energy produced to sell to energy companies.

Posted by Lauren Steadman