Inauguration of Energibio, the green energy production unit
The Energibio anaerobic digestion unit, installed on the site of the Ginestous-Garonne wastewater treatment plant, is inaugurated this Monday, November 15. The aim is to produce “green” gas capable of supplying energy to 11,000 homes.
Within the framework of Toulouse Métropole Territorial Climate and Energy Plan, Mayor Jean-Luc Moudenc and President of the Occitanie Region Carole Delga today inaugurate the Energibio anaerobic digestion unit. The latter is installed on the site of the Ginestous-Garonne wastewater treatment plant, to the north of the city. Its objective is to reuse the sludge from wastewater treatment to produce a “green” gas, called biomethane. It is made up of 97% methane and 3% other gases.
Energy production for 11,000 households
This green and renewable energy production will be used, from the first year of operation, to produce 50 million kilowatts / hour (GWh) biomethane. This gas will then be transformed into heating or hot water to supply 11,000 homes each year. It could also be used to run the Tisséo buses in the city, up to 230 vehicles per year. Thanks to this device, Toulouse Métropole hopes to avoid the emission of 10,000 tonnes of CO2 each year.
The second objective is to develop the Ginestous-Garonne wastewater treatment plant into a wastewater “recovery” station. Until then, its activity consisted in treating the 125,000 cubic meters of wastewater produced by the inhabitants of the metropolis on a daily basis, in order to clean it up and discharge it into the Garonne. It will now be able to produce energy that respects the environment. The benefit is also to reduce odors since anaerobic digestion more than halves the quantity of sludge to be eliminated, which will drop from 15,000 tonnes to 7,000 tonnes per year.