As prime consultant under an approximate $1 million contract, Arcadis will design a combined heat and power (CHP) engine capable of burning biogas that will power a generator to produce electricity and heat for the plant. Methane-rich biogas is produced by the plant鈥檚 anaerobic digesters. Rather than flare the excess biogas, the city aims to recycle it for power. Arcadis will manage the CHP engine procurement, pair it with a gas cleaning system for producing high quality fuel, and integrate the new CHP system into the plant鈥檚 existing electrical and heating system. The new system will also be scalable to accommodate city growth.
鈥淯sing biogas to fuel the engines is significantly more efficient and environmentally friendly than using coal power or natural gas, and it will strengthen our city鈥檚 sustainability going forward,鈥� said Todd Krenelka, Columbus Department of Public Utilities. 鈥淭he city has a strong interest in fully using our resources, and this project meets multiple objectives within Columbus鈥� Green Memos.鈥�
鈥淲e applaud Columbus for embarking on a multi-year initiative to promote sustainability within the city and to contribute to solutions for ongoing global environmental issues,鈥� said Arcadis Water President John McCarthy. 鈥淎rcadis looks forward to building a more efficient and sustainable power system to help the city meet its climate change, energy, built environment and community engagement objectives.鈥� The design phase of the project will run through October 2019 with construction scheduled to take place in spring 2020.
For more information, visit www.arcadis.com.