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Anglian Water
Date: 24/02/2000 New Release
Anglian Water consortium to design, build and operate the biggest wastewater treatment works
in Ireland
Today Anglian Water signed one of the biggest contracts of its kind in the history of the Irish state with the Dublin Corporation in Ireland. The design, build and operate project, with a whole-life value of £158 million, will provide the city of Dublin with a new wastewater treatment works serving a population of 1.2 million. It will be the biggest wastewater treatment works in Ireland and aims to bring water quality in Dublin Bay up to the European Blue Flag standard.
As part the ABA Consortium, Anglian Water will operate the new centre for 20 years. The company will also contribute to the design and construction of the EU-sponsored project, the first such project to be awarded on a design, build and operate basis. The consortium also includes the Irish construction company Ascon Ltd. and the American process and engineering constuctors Black and Veatch. Anglian Water’s Irish joint venture company, Celtic Anglian Water, will also be involved through providing operational support and sludge management expertise.
The new works will provide four-stage treatment, including ultra-violet (UV) disinfection, before the final effluent is discharged into Dublin Bay. The project will meet the objectives of the Dublin Bay Water Quality Management Plan by providing effective wastewater treatment for the population of Dublin and improving the environment. At present, sewage receives only basic, one-stage treatment.
Innovative technology features strongly in the new design, including the largest Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) in the world. This treats the wastewater biologically, in a building eight storeys high. This technology combines three separate processes in one unit and features fast reaction times. Sludge, a solid by-product of wastewater treatment, will be treated and dried to pellet form, allowing safe application to agricultural and forestry land. It also has potential as an alternative power station fuel.
An extra 180,000 cubic metres of wastewater a day will be treated, coping with the future growth of Dublin. The North and South sewerage catchments will also be connected for the first time by way of a pipeline laid under Dublin Bay. All wastewater will then be treated centrally at Ringsend.
The new treatment works will be built on the existing 15 hectare site, bordered by Dublin Bay and a nature conservation area. The existing works will continue to operate while the new one is being built, presenting the project team with some tough logistical challenges.
Phil Butler, Anglian Water’s head of Commercial Consultancy, said: “This is a fantastic project and it’s great to be a part of it. We are building one of the largest wastewater treatment works in Europe, here in Dublin. It’s a huge engineering challenge, particularly building the on the existing site while we’re operating the old works as well.
“Anglian Water has a good record for providing innovative solutions to wastewater treatment in environmentally-sensitive areas. The company is already building a state of the art treatment works in Oslo, which will be built out of solid rock and another project in Wellington, New Zealand, has delivered significant improvements to the coastal waters surrounding the city,” said Phil.
“We’re confident we can do the same for Dublin. The city’s bathing waters should meet the European Blue Flag Award standard and growth of algae in the Bay will be significantly reduced. Dublin Bay is important for migrating fish, so conditions will be much better for them too. This project is not only good for the environment, it’s good for the local economy and will benefit tourism by cleaning up Dublin Bay.
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