Prague: Central Wastewater Treatment Plant: A future source of heat and electricity
Investment projects worth about six billion crowns preparing since 2018. At the same time, the first reconstruction works should begin in 2024, which should end in 2027. The reconstructed line could then be put into operation in 2028.
It should promise not only accommodation odor, which sometimes from the dry cleaners, but above all more efficient water purification like the new line. “We also applied UV lamps there as the last stage of cleaning, which ensures that the purified water is free of pathogens and viruses, so it travels to the Vltava in better condition than other rivers in the country”Says Pavel Válek, CEO of the Prague Water Management Company (PVS).
Wastewater use
It is far from just wastewater treatment, the aim of which is not to exceed 10 mg per liter of total nitrogen in the treated water, which corresponds to the area of the European Union. If Prague did not fulfill it, hundreds of millions of sanctions would be threatened. According to the War, the WWTP is not only a consumer but also an energy producer. At the same time, energy production should increase significantly through reconstruction, which is a sensitive issue, especially at a time of energy uncertainty due to the war in Ukraine.
“It simply came to our notice then to ensure energy management and to use the energy potential of the whole complex for the benefit of Praguers, “States the Deputy Mayor of the City. m Prague Petr Hlubuček (STAN). By that he means, above all, that he would wastewater was further used for energy productionnot within the functioning of the complex, but (parts of) the metropolis.
“The so-called The digestion tanks, which are located roughly in the middle of the Imperial Island, will be renovated. It will be part of her collection of biogas from these tanks, which will be further processed, “Said the deputy. This practice is already taking place today, but not to the extent that the municipality has ambitions to fulfill it.
“So far, heat and electricity are used from this gas for the needs of the WWTP complexbut the plan is to use this gas for the benefit of urban infrastructure. ”Biogas, which would be converted to biomethane, would become alternative to standard natural gas, which the Czech Republic mostly takes from Russia. It was mainly used to heat nearby households.
How will it work?
It is formed during the processing of sewage sludge biogas, which is used today mainly for electricity generation. The aim of the modernization is to produce biomethane from biogas (CNG), which would be blown into the medium-pressure gas network of the capital, at the same time it would be used, for example, by cars of municipal companies.
“I myself am a supporter of electromobility, but for large vehicles electromobility will probably not be a direct solution in the future, unlike CNG,” said Petr Mrkos, CEO of Prague Water Supply and Sewerage (PVK). PVK has already begun to change the fleet, which should run mainly on CNG in the future. “This will reduce CO2 emissions from our cars by 600 tons. “
In terms of use in gas pipelines, biomethane will travel to households in the near and far distance of the WWTP. It would serve as a source of heating for households. In the future, the possible possibility of its use in electricity generation is also possible.
“We plan to install them all water management objects by photovoltaic panelswhereas we are developing a concept on the basis of which we will be able to say on which buildings we will use this energy for our own needs and how much the city will be able to use it for its own purposes, “Válek specified.
The end of heating?
In addition to the gas, it is expected that it would be formed in the treatment plant thermal energy, which would then go to households in Juliska, Dejvice, Veleslavín, then to Holešovice, Bubnů and Zátor. According to estimates, about 30,000 households could go.
“It simply came to our notice then collector to Podbaba, which would make us useless Podbaby heating plant, which is now an emission source in the middle of the city. In such a case, a similar fate would await a large heating plant in Veleslavín, “the deputy added. The collector would be led to Holešovice, where it would connect to the existing network under the Hlávka bridge. Thanks to further construction, the heat produced in Troja could reach Štěrbohol, for example.
The final decision
Although it is about half a year until the municipal elections, according to Hlubuček, nothing will change in these plans. “This is a clear path to follow. A feasibility study will be carried out in August“States that the WWTP still produces 15 million cubic meters of heat. So why not use it for the benefit of Praguers? “Even if the political representation changed, I can’t imagine this project stopping. It wouldn’t make sense. “
The old line of the Bubeneč wastewater treatment plant on Císařský ostrov will undergo a complete reconstruction. (April 2022) Prague Water Management Company, Prague Water Supply and Sewerage
The old line of the Bubeneč wastewater treatment plant on Císařský ostrov will undergo a complete reconstruction. (April 2022)
Author: Prague Water Management Company, Prague Water Supply and Sewerage