South Bay : Methane From Sewage Plant to Fuel Electricity Generator
Recycling will prove a bright idea for about 500,000 customers of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
That’s the number expected to receive electricity generated from methane gas left over from sewage treatment at the Hyperion facility in Playa del Rey.
The DWP and the Department of Public Works recently agreed to spend $12 million to upgrade and expand a gas pipeline between Hyperion and the neighboring Scattergood generating station. The sewage plant already provides the generating station with enough gas to light about 8,000 homes and businesses, DWP spokeswoman Lucia Alvelais said.
“This is what ecology is supposed to be about,” said City Councilwoman Ruth Galanter. “This is really closing the loop. Instead of burning it into the air, you’re burning it into electricity.”
Construction is expected to start sometime after the agreement is made final in mid-September.
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