Ottawa’s environmental protection committee approves $57.2M wastewater treatment plant upgrade
Posted Oct 15, 2019 04:13:00 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The City of Ottawa could save $80-million in utilities over the next 25 years while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, after a $57.2-million in upgrades to its cogeneration system at the Robert O. Pickard Environmental Centre.
The Standing Committee on Environmental Protection, Water and Waste Management recommended going forward with the project on Monday.
The cogeneration system converts methane from the wastewater treatment process into electricity and heat for the plant. The methane can also be used as gas for the plant’s boilers, reducing how much natural gas the city needs to purchase. Since the system came online in 1997, it has saved the city between $1-million and $1.4-million in utility costs per year.
The upgrades would be completed by the end of 2024.
The project is expected to reduce the plant’s greenhouse gas emissions by up to an additional 1,565 tonnes per year over the current system, which is at the end of its service life.
That extra reduction is equivalent to removing approximately 328 vehicles from the road. They would also allow the plant to operate during a sustained power outage, keeping the Ottawa River safe from untreated wastewater discharge.
Money for the upgrade would come from the city's wastewater reserve and existing capital project accounts. City staff expect to recoup the cost after about 14 years.
