Search for
Search for
Search for£30m sewage site welcomed
Monday, November 17, 2008, 16:45
It wants to develop the state-of-the art complex, incorporating a combined heat and power plant to feed the National Grid, on land at the existing Afan treatment works near Corus.
Although campaigners are up in arms about the number of power station applications in Port Talbot, this one is far smaller and boasts all the green credentials to make it different from the rest.
One leading councillor has described it as fantastic news and the kind of environmentally-friendly development the town wanted to attract.
Existing structures at the Afan works would be demolished for the new centre, which is the subject of a planning application submitted this month to Neath Port Talbot Council.
A Welsh Water spokesman told the Post: "We have submitted a planning application to carry out works to the existing wastewater treatment works.
"If it goes ahead it will allow Welsh Water to produce green energy and lower the carbon footprint for the treatment process.
"It will not affect the way in which we treat incoming sewage. The proposal relates to the sludge which is produced as a consequence of the sewage treatment process.
"Currently the works use a thermal drying process, which is energy-intensive and produces a dried pellet product complying with EU standards for use as an agricultural fertiliser.
"The advanced anaerobic digestion process relates to the way in which we process the sewage sludge.
"It will enable us to generate renewable energy from the biogas produced in the process, which can be fed into the National Grid, as well as an agricultural product."
The final cleaned effluent would continue to be pumped out to sea under existing consent with Environment Agency Wales.
The power generation would be 1.5MW-2MW — a fraction of that proposed for the controversial Prenergy plant nearby, where the output would be 350MW.
"The actual cost for the scheme is being finalised but is estimated in the region of £30 million," added the spokeswoman.
"If approved, construction would start during April or May next year with a completion date of March 2011."
Neath Port Talbot's Independent Party leader Andrew Tutton said: "I think this will be fantastic news for Port Talbot.
"We are always looking at ways of creating a better environment.
"We need more developments like this in the town."
Comment on this story