The CHP facility will provide power and heat for the 750-acre Esholt site and reduce Yorkshire Water’s annual energy bill by £1.3 million, and cut their carbon footprint by 9,000 tonnes, the company said.
The wastewater treatment site serves a population of 700,000 in Bradford and Leeds and waste sludge from the site is used to produce biogas.
This biogas is then fed back through pipes and combusted in an engine to generate both electricity and heat that is circulated around the large facility.
The process also creates a total of 62,000 tonnes of fertiliser each year which is “recycled” back into Yorkshire’s agriculture.
Richard Flint, Yorkshire Water’s chief executive, said: “This is a massive step for us as a company and it is good news for the environment, the agriculture industry and also our customers because it will help us keep bills down.
“The technology being used on this site truly is some of the most cutting edge around and it’s playing a major part in an 80 per cent increase in the amount of renewable energy being generated by Yorkshire Water in the last year.”