The 9.1 MW plant is expected to generate 28,000 MWh of electricity per year.

It is part of Melbourne Water’s larger $46 million Eastern Green Energy Project, which will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 32,000 tonnes per year.

The Eastern Green Energy Project focuses on modernising the technology and facilities at Melbourne Water’s Eastern Treatment Plant at Bangholme to enable sludge gas to be used as an environmentally friendly, renewable energy source.

In order to fully utilise the sewage gas produced at the Eastern Treatment Plant and minimise the use of imported electricity, Melbourne Water has installed new, more efficient power generation equipment and will replace a number of outfall pumping engines with electric motors.

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The Eastern Treatment Plant was originally designed and built with integrated energy systems, which use sludge gas to power outfall pumping equipment and generate heat and power for use elsewhere at the plant.

However, the use of sludge gas was made inefficient by the age of the power generation engines and other equipment constraints.

The recently completed Carrum Downs sewage gas power generation plant provides the opportunity to maximise the use of this renewable energy source.

Other initiatives to be implemented under the broader Eastern Green Energy Project include new electric motors at the outfall pumping station, which will replace the current engines that run on both sludge gas and diesel, and new heat recovery, water cooler and electrical systems.

Overall, the project will make the plant more automated and self-sufficient, eliminate the need for diesel fuel, and cut electricity and maintenance costs.