Thames Water has announced it has successfully delivered its second gas-to-grid (G2G) project which will see 4,000 homes in West London heated using converted sewage sludge.
The project will see sewage sludge from its Mogden Sewage Treatment Works (STW) digested to produce biogas which is then used to generate electricity via Combined Heat and Power (CHP) engines.
“The gas-to-grid plant, which will be managed by gas supplier SGN, intends to take a proportion of this biogas and to ‘uprate’ it to export quality which is achieved by filtering, scrubbing and then compressing gas so it can be used as fuel for cooking and heating,” a Thames spokesperson explained.
Mogden currently serves more than 2 million customers and is the third largest STW in the UK. It has the potential to reach and supply gas to 4,000 homes in West London.
The project is the second of its kind and follows one established at Deephams STW in North London in 2021, where biogas is converted into biomethane to heat homes in Enfield.
Thames currently collects 4.6 billion litres of wastewater daily from c.16 million customers and predicts there will be a growing demand for biomethane.
Anna Boyles, head of catchment for Mogden, said: “Both Deephams and Mogden Sewage Treatment Works have set a remarkable example for environmental stewardship and innovation.
“The successful transformation of biogas into biomethane, heating homes across London, not only shows the dedication of our Mogden teams and SGN to delivering this project but also marks a significant step towards reducing our carbon footprint.”
Alan Midwinter, SGN senior project manager for Mogden, said: “The successful commissioning of the Mogden biomethane plant is another important step towards a net zero future.
“SGN would like to thank all the Thames Water stakeholders and respective teams involved in the Mogden project for their invaluable input and support, it really has been a team effort.
“We hope that these projects highlight the potential that exists to capture and upgrade low carbon biomethane from wastewater to the benefit of the local community.”