Toowoomba Regional Council's (TRC) ambitious and cost-saving plan to power most of the city's wastewater treatment plant with gas captured from the city's nearby landfill is a step closer to reality.
TRC Water and Waste Committee portfolio leader Cr Nancy Sommerfield today (August 18) joined project contractor LGI CEO Adam Bloomer to inspect the newly arrived generator that is being commissioned at the Wetalla Water Reclamation Facility.
Cr Sommerfield said the energy re-use project would allow the gas-fired generator to supply up to 70% of the power to run the Wetalla Water Reclamation Facility, along with ongoing environmental benefits.
"Since we started the test flaring with LGI at the Toowoomba Waste Management Centre site in June 2020, the project has been investigating the flow of gas that could be reliably sourced from the landfill cells to run the generator, which is situated just below the Hermitage Road landfill site at Wetalla. This testing was required to determine the appropriate size of the generator," Cr Sommerfield said.
"Testing has proven the gas field (at the landfill site) can support a 1,000 kilowatt generator. The generator was placed in position by a crane earlier this month at the Wetalla facility with work now proceeding on the final installation, electrical connection and commissioning of the unit.
