72 million has been set aside in line with the approval of a new state-of-the-art sludge treatment and anaerobic digestion facility at Yorkshire Water’s Knostrop works in central Leeds.

The bio-energy facility had a Yorkshire Water planning proposal for it approved by the Leeds City Council’s planning committee, which saw the contract awarded to Black & Veatch. The civil engineering element of the project will be delivered by Clugston Construction Limited. No doubt those in charge will soon be looking for things like crane hire yorkshire in the Yorkshire area to help with the construction of this new facility.

Situated on Knowsthorpe Lane, Knostrop Waste Water Treatment Works has been actively treating sewage from domestic properties and industries operating in the region for approximately 100 years. The new facility will replace the existing sludge and bio-solid incinerator which was constructed in 1993 and, thanks to equipment like a sludge dewatering centrifuge, enable the more efficient and effective treatment of sewage combined with the additional benefit of renewable power production from the waste water effluent.

Nevil Muncaster, Director of Asset Management, said; “This is the single biggest investment of our current investment period (2015-2020) and will not only provide increased treatment capacity for our sludges but will also deliver significant operational cost savings enabling us to keep customer bills as low as possible.”

“Knostrop is designated as a strategic waste site so by increasing the future sludge and bio-solid treatment capacity of the works the project will support also growth in the Leeds sub-regions.”

Scheduled for completion in 2019, the facility will be capable of processing a colossal 131 tonnes of dry sludge a day, generating enough renewable energy (using heat and power engines) to provide for 55% of Knostrop’s energy needs – enough to power up 8,000 homes. This kind of material will need proper storage and moving through the facility, which means ample equipment (like that seen on Platforms and Ladders) will also need to be invested into.

Benefits of the new facility;

• 15% reduction in carbon emissions across the company
• provide 55% of the site’s energy needs
• contribute to achieving 94% recycling of the region’s sludge by 2020

This project comes in as just the latest step in the commitment shown by Yorkshire Water to invest in renewable energy, set to benefit the environment and keep customers’ bills low. Yorkshire Water is in full support of Leeds Council’s ambition for the Lower Aire Valley to become a hub for green energy and industry. The company intends to generate approximately 18% of its energy needs by 2020.

On October 2014 a 123 metre high wind turbine was constructed at Knostrop which stands 12 meters taller than landmark building Bridgewater Place. This structure, which cost around 3.5 million, is already a major source of power for the Knostrop site and will on average provide 10% of Knostrop’s energy needs.