£30 million refit on Poole Water Recycling Centre on track

Wessex Water say their work will be completed later this year

Author: Faye TryhornPublished 23rd Oct 2024

A £30 million refit at Poole's Water Recycling Centre is on target completion later this year, according to supplier Wessex Water.

They've said it'll provide a boost to both the environment and the generation of renewable energy - making sure the by-products of the water treatment process continue to meet the highest environmental standards, reducing emissions of greenhouse gases.

The project's due to finish in December, having started back early in 2021.

A programme of commissioning and testing will continue until next June though.

The scheme's seen upgrades to the equipment that means sludge produced as part of the sewage treatment process is safely disposed of at the site, As well as treating sludge imported from other treatment sites in the area.

Programme manager Joe Edmunds said:

“We’re refurbishing Poole bioresources centre to ensure it meets high treatment standards for many years to come.

“It has reliable digestion capacity to treat up to 450 cubic metres of sludge per day. In addition, it will provide the opportunity to maximise the generation of renewable energy.

“We’re pleased that this complex project is close to completion after successfully tackling a series of challenges such as the Covid pandemic, Brexit and the Ukraine conflict that affected the availability of raw materials.

“This refurbishment will mean the plant is safer to maintain and operate, providing reliability and certainty of sludge treatment in the south and better opportunity for renewable power generation.’’

Wessex Water also has another £30 million project taking place at the Holdenhurst Water Recycling Centre in Bournemouth, helping to protect the town’s beaches from sewage discharges.

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