A new solar project at Welsh Water’s Five Fords wastewater treatment works in Wrexham, north-east Wales will see a five-fold increase in solar energy powering the site.
The Five Fords site processes the wastewater of around 180,000 customers from across north Wales. Over the past few years Welsh Water has invested £36 million to turn it into a model green energy site.
An additional 40,000 solar panels will be placed close to the treatment works, in addition to the 10,000 already on site, complementing existing biomethane production and Combined Heat and Power engines.
Together this will equate to around 8% of Welsh Water’s annual electricity and gas use – or enough energy to power around 4,500 homes.
Welsh Water will collaborate with Innova Renewables on the project, the renewable energy company developing the site. Innova already has an extensive portfolio of solar assets across England and Wales.
Energy self-sufficiency is a big part of Welsh Water’s target to reach Net-Zero by 2040. The company is also looking to cut the amount that it spends on power to ensure value for money for bill payers.
Five Fords is the most diverse renewable energy site in the sector, utilising multiple innovative energy technologies including renewable gas fuel created from sewage sludge through utilising bacteria to produce methane via anaerobic digestion.
Andrew Dixon, Head of Energy Efficiency at Welsh Water said:
“In 2015, we shared our vision for the Five Fords site to become an ‘energy park’, starting with technology to turn biomethane into energy that feeds into the national grid, and going on to pioneer multiple renewable energy technologies for the benefit of the environment.
“This solar development is a major step towards Welsh Water becoming self-sufficient in our energy needs, reducing our carbon footprint and adding to the innovative technologies already on site. With the introduction of this technology, Five Fords will be producing around 8% of Welsh Water’s annual energy demand for electricity and gas which is major progress for our journey to Net Zero.”
In February this year Welsh Water signed a 40 year Power Purchase Agreement with Innova which will will see the water company's Five Fords sewage treatment works powered with renewable energy, generated from Innova’s Wrexham and Cefn solar farms.
Owen Mace has taken over as Director of the British Plastics Federation (BPF) Plastic Pipes Group on the retirement of Caroline Ayres. He was previously Standards and Technical Manager for the group.
PureTec Separations, the Ledbury-based water treatment engineering firm, has appointed Dan Norman as its new Sales Manager – Water Process Systems, supporting the company’s continued growth in the UK and international markets.
bNovate has launched BactoCloud, a secure cloud-based platform that connects and manages its BactoSense instruments, enabling real-time monitoring and optimization of microbial water quality.
Amiblu, a global leader in Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) pipe systems for wastewater, stormwater, drinking water, irrigation, hydropower, and industrial applications, has announced the appointment of Martyn Turton as its Sales Director for the UK & Ireland, driving strategic market development in the infrastructure and water sectors, effective immediately.
Hear how Scottish Water has completed its £235 million Ayrshire Glasgow Resilience Project - customers across Greater Glasgow, Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire will now benefit from a more secure and resilient water supply.
Hear how United Utilities is accelerating its investment to reduce spills from storm overflows across the Northwest.
Find out more about the remarkable career opportunities on offer at WSP - scroll down to watch the inspirational video.