Severn Trent Water to invest in £15m AD plant

Severn Trent Water is to invest £15m into an anaerobic digestion (AD) plant that will break down, digest and turn sewage sludge into clean, renewable energy.


According to the water company, the anaerobic digestor machine, which will be constructed at its Manton sewage treatment works in Worksop, will act like a “steel cow”.

Severn Trent Water senior programme engineer Dave Clark said: “Sewage sludge is fed into the treatment works; the ‘cow’ then digests the material creating a bio-gas, which is used to generate renewable energy to power the site.

“It can also be exported to the National Grid and the remaining treated material can be used by local farmers to fertilise their fields – so there’s almost no waste.”

Severn Trent Water currently transports waste from Worksop to its existing AD plant at Stoke Bardolph in Nottingham.

However, by generating energy onsite, the company aims to reduce the number of tanker journeys it makes as well as its carbon footprint.

The digestor, which is being constructed by contractor Mott MacDonald Bentley, will take about a year-and-a-half to construct and work has already begun on a new access road.

Clark said: “We’ve planned this project to make sure that local residents aren’t disrupted and the new plant will be located within our existing site, away from the local community.

“We’ve carried out a number of surveys so that we understand the condition of the ground and local environment. We’re also working with Nottinghamshire County Council to listen to their feedback on our plans.”

Severn Trent Water says trees and shrubs will also be planted to act as a natural screen for the digestor.

Conor McGlone

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