West County Wastewater's (WCW) Board of Directors today (April 28) announced the approval of Phase Two of their comprehensive energy improvement project. Phase Two initiates the addition of backup power to major energy facilities at WCW's Water Quality and Resource Recovery Plant. ENGIE North America (ENGIE), a leader in the Net Zero energy transition, will be installing a battery energy storage system that will work in coordination with the cogeneration system, solar system and diesel generators.
The new microgrid will provide uninterrupted plant operations during weather or utility related outages, now commonplace in California. In 2022 alone, California led the United States with nearly one quarter of outages due to increasing temperatures, droughts, wildfires and a strained power grid. Working with ENGIE, the additions to major facilities are a part of WCW's 5-year strategic plan. The infrastructure project will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 93 percent and save more than $83 million over its lifetime.
ENGIE and West County Wastewater are collaborating on what will be a best-practice water-energy nexus technology model for sustainable water treatment. Along with the new microgrid, the project includes construction of a solar system, upgrades to LED lighting, electric vehicle charging stations, and various wastewater treatment process improvements to generate electricity and produce Class A biosolids.
"The WCW infrastructure improvements expand resilience in the face of wildfire and weather events that necessitate utility-imposed, Public Safety Power Shutoffs," said Andrew Clough, General Manager from WCW. "This is a long-term collaboration to meet our sustainability goals and support the surrounding community. Since 2022 we have worked closely with ENGIE to engage local community members including college students for an internship and community engagement programs. This initiative is designed to complement the energy project goals and continue to bring job opportunities and economic benefits to the City of Richmond."
Construction for Phase One of the Clean & Green Project is underway. Since building began in 2022, construction is nearly 25 percent complete with significant energy and operational savings already recognized. In concert with ongoing program implementation milestones, the ongoing facility upgrades were recently celebrated by the WCW Board, staff and special guests at an official Clean & Green groundbreaking ceremony on April 27, 2023.
"By partnering with West County, we are providing impactful and comprehensive energy, infrastructure designed to offset carbon emissions and provide substantial savings," said ENGIE's Chief Energy Solutions Officer, Stefaan Sercu. "Wastewater treatment is an especially energy-demanding operation but wastewater districts that take advantage of ENGIE's expertise at the energy-water nexus can make the improvements necessary for the reliability of their equipment, safety of the local community, and environmental sustainability."
About West County Wastewater
West County Wastewater serves several communities in the Richmond, California, area. The organization owns, operates, and maintains a wastewater collection system with 249 miles of gravity sewer pipelines, 17 lift stations, 6 miles of pressure force mains, and a Water Quality and Resource Recovery Plant with a capacity of 12.5 million gallons per day (mgd). All told, WCW provides wastewater services to approximately 34,000 residences and 900 commercial and industrial businesses, with a total population of nearly 100,000.
About ENGIE S.A.
ENGIE S.A. is a global leader in low-carbon energy and services. With its 96,000 employees, its customers, partners and stakeholders, the Group is committed to accelerate the transition toward a carbon-neutral world, through reduced energy consumption and more environmentally-friendly solutions. Inspired by its purpose ("raison d'être"), ENGIE reconciles economic performance with a positive impact on people and the planet, building on its key businesses (gas, renewable energy, services) to offer competitive solutions to its customers. ENGIE (ENGI), is listed on the Paris and Brussels Stock Exchanges.
In North America, ENGIE has delivered integrated, innovative energy solutions to public and private organizations for nearly half a century. We employ approximately 3,000 people focused on enabling our customers to become more sustainable and achieve their decarbonization targets through expert project delivery and competitive solutions. For more information on ENGIE in North America, please visit our LinkedIn page or Twitter feed, https://www.engie-na.com/ and https://www.engie.com.
