Allentown, PA Considering Novel Sludge to Energy Project

Date: August 14, 2009

Source: News Room

The mayor of Allentown, PA announced possible plans to convert the city's sewer-plant sludge into power using a novel superheating technology. The city is in discussions with TerraSalus Energy (Princeton, NJ) about serving as a test site for a $20 million first-in-the-country system that would burn up to 10 tons of sludge a day and create electricity to power the plant, saving the city a large portion of the plant's $800,000 annual electricity costs while saving $250,000 per year that would otherwise be spent to haul the sludge away. Backers say the process is nearly emissions-free.

The cost of the project would be borne by the company, which according to Robert van Naarden the chief operating officer for TerraSalus, is seeking grants from the U.S. Department of Energy that would cover at least half the cost, with the balance coming from investors. He said the technology is about five years old and is used primarily in Japan.

According to Van Naarden, the project would create about 100 construction jobs and 15 to 20 permanent jobs. TerraSalus has been working with the U.S. Department of Energy and is scheduling a pre-application hearing with the state Department of Environmental Protection. The federal and state approval process is expected to take at least six months. Construction would also take about six months.

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