Anaergia Inc. has been selected as the Energy Recovery Contractor for a new system that will produce renewable power from wastewater sludge at the East County Advanced Water Purification (East County AWP) facility now under construction in Santee, California. Anaergia anticipates the Energy Recovery project will also eventually digest food waste along with the wastewater sludge. Anaergia is expected to design and build the waste-to-renewable energy facility.
The East County AWP facility is part of an Advanced Water Purification Program that is a partnership among Padre Dam Municipal Water District, the City of El Cajon, the County of San Diego, and Helix Water District. The program is expected to produce up to 11.5 million gallons per day of new local drinking water.
Anaergia’s project at the East County AWP is expected to produce renewable power from biogas created by anaerobically digesting wastewater solids and potentially locally-sourced organic waste. Anaergia plans to integrate a
waste-to-renewable power system that includes a biogas conditioning system, combined heat and power (CHP) generation, as well as an optional receiving station with storage tanks for organic waste deliveries. The organic waste reception would provide a local outlet for recycling organic waste that is required to be diverted from landfills under California law. The law is designed to reduce planet-warming methane emissions.
“By including the technologies that create energy from organic waste, the East County AWP facility is doing the right thing for the environment and for the people it serves,” said Brett Hodson, chief executive officer of Anaergia. “This project serves as a model for other facilities. It leverages proven technology, adds resilient infrastructure, and brings economic benefits to the utility.”
Anaergia’s energy recovery project complements other portions of the new East County AWP facility, including the facility’s anaerobic digesters, which are fitted with Anaergia’s OmniMix mixers, designed for co-digestion applications.