Veolia Group
In the world
Specialty Brands

Producing clean energy from wastewater

The water treatment plant run by Veolia in the German city of Gera produces enough energy to meet its daily needs.
Business case listing

TREATING WATER WHILE PRODUCING CLEAN ENERGY

In each of the services it provides, Veolia examines the recovery potential of natural resources. Wastewater constitutes a major source of clean energy. Veolia offers a large portfolio of solutions adapted to all types of facility, including biogas recovery units, small-scale hydroelectric installations at wastewater treatment plant outlets, and the ability to draw calories from wastewater.
 

A PROGRAM SUITABLE FOR ALL TYPES OF FACILITY

The Water2Energy program introduced in Germany is designed to lower energy consumption while producing renewable energy from wastewater treatment processes. In Gera, wastewater sludge treatment processes have been adapted to boost biogas production, with a dual system to digest biowaste and sludge installed at the facility. As a result, the plant can now generate all the power it needs for daily operations on-site, totaling some 4,000 MWh per year.

Wastewater has real appeal as an energy source – one we must strive to recover more efficiently. It can even provide a steady supply of sufficient quantities of electricity to feed into the public grid.
Pavel Chudoba
Veolia Technical Director for Eastern Europe​

 

Key Figures

100% energy self-sufficient

4,000 MWh generated per year

Customer benefits 

  • Clean energy production
  • Lower operating costs
  • Smaller carbon footprint

Solution 

  • Water treatment: processing, operations, maintenance and optimization of facilities
  • Data management and smart services: real-time infrastructure monitoring and advice on optimizing infrastructure management
  • Waste-to-energy: anaerobic digestion