East Gippsland Water's Bairnsdale water recycling plant will soon start generating enough energy onsite – as part of the waste-water treatment process – to meet the facility's power needs into the future, while at the same time cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
Under its $1.3 million biodigestion initiative to reduce greenhouse gases and operating costs, the organisation is bringing into operation a new combined heat and power unit at the site.
The biogas given off during the wastewater treatment process is captured and stored in a large white, 12 metre diameter inflated gas membrane, known as the 'bubble'. The newly installed combined heat and power unit will generate more than enough energy from this gas to power the Bairnsdale water recycling plant. 
Up to 40 per cent of the total is being earmarked for the site, with the excess to be fed back into the grid.

IMAGE: Checking out the new combined heat and power unit from East Gippsland Water last week were managing director, Steve McKenzie, planning and performance analyst, Matthew Whitelaw, and project engineer, Jim Russell. (PS)