Thames Water is further expanding its use of renewable at two operational sites - Abbey Mills pumping station, will be powered by 100% renewable energy from mid-2019, while its Basingstoke sewage works now produces enough energy from waste to power the whole site.

The water company is getting ready to run the iconic Abbey Mills pumping station, once powered by steam, on 100 %renewable energy.

Built by Sir Joseph Bazalgette 150 years ago, the ‘Cathedral of Sewage’ was powered by eight steam operated beam engines, all still inside the architecturally stunning pump house, before it was converted to electricity in the 1930s.

The project to link the east London site to Beckton sewage works via an 8km copper cable – through an existing duct – will now mean all of its power will come from renewable sources, rather than the national grid.

Thames Water has generated green energy at Beckton using a wind turbine, solar panels and sewage, heated at high temperatures to produce biogas which is the converted into electricity, for many years.

Angus Berry, Thames Water’s energy manager, said:

“By powering Abbey Mills with electricity from Beckton’s renewable sources, including the sewage that is pumped between the two sites every day, we’re making it more resilient as it won’t rely on power from the grid. To modify a site built by the Victorians to run on 21st century green energy is a real achievement for us as we look to create a more sustainable and greener business.

“We’re extremely proud to be an industry leader in producing electricity from renewable sources. By doing this we’re protecting the environment and reducing costs, which in turn keeps customer bills down.”

Abbey Mills pumps around 230,000 litres of waste water a day on to Beckton sewage works and can process four times that on rainy days. Work on the cable project began in early 2018 and is expected to be completed in mid-2019.

£53m upgrade trebles Basingstoke sewage works energy generation capacity

Basingstoke sewage works now produces enough energy from waste to power the whole site after a recent £53m upgrade trebled its energy generation capacity.

It is one of only a handful of sites in Thames Water’s area to meet all its own energy needs, reducing both its carbon footprint and operating costs.

Recently installed special reactors, similar to giant pressure cookers, heat up sewage from more than 130,000 people during the treatment process to help produce biogas. This is then converted into 24MWh of electricity every day – enough to power the equivalent of 2,850 homes.

Matthew Gee, Thames Water energy and carbon efficiency manager, said:

“This is a great accomplishment and we’re extremely proud to be an industry leader in using waste to create a more sustainable and greener business.

“A recent upgrade to the equipment used at Basingstoke, has trebled the amount of renewable energy we can generate, and treats enough waste product to fill 33 Olympic swimming pools every year. “

As part of its £11.7 billion business plan covering 2020-25, Thames Water will continue to invest in renewable energy solutions, and aims to generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 115,000 homes.

Renewables, including bioresources, wind and solar power, generated more than one fifth of the company’s energy needs last year, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and saving the equivalent of £30 million in energy costs.