WASHINGTON — One man’s sewage is another man’s power supply.
D.C. Water has started turning waste water into an energy source that supplies power to one-third of its Blue Plains plant.
The $470 million waste-to-energy project is the first of its kind in North America. The scale of its thermal hydrolysis installation is unmatched in the world.
“We’re going to generate … a permanent, clean energy that reduces our carbon footprint by a third,” exclaimed D.C. Water General Manager George Hawkins.
The high-tech process pressure cooks the waste water solids. The resulting methane is captured and piped to three turbines to generate power.
The solids that are left behind are fit for gardens and will be used around the District.
“We cannot afford to allow waste to be just waste,” said D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.
