Columbia Boulevard Wastewater Treatment PlantEveryday Portland's Columbia Boulevard Wastewater Treatment Plant produces over one million cubic feet of biogas, a natural by-product of the sewage treatment process. Now, the City of Portland can use more than two thirds of that biogas as fuel to generate electricity and heat for the treatment plant operations.
The city dedicated two of the plant's generators to biogas, which will generate 1.7 megawatts of electricity per day - enough to power 1,000 homes! That much electricity will supply about half of the treatment plant's daily energy needs. By reducing the amount of electricity the plant purchases, the city is able to recover the project costs in 12 to 15 years.
Most of the funding for the $8 million project comes from sewer user fees collected by Portland's Bureau of Environmental Services. Energy Trust of Oregon [0] is also providing the city with a $362,000 cash incentive to offset project costs. The city will also use the Oregon Business Energy Tax Credit program to offset about 25% of the project costs.
At peak capacity, the co-generation facility will use about 70% of the treatment plant's daily production of biogas. Which means the facility will generate enough power to reduce the plant's annual electric bill by about 40%.