Watercare Biogas Cogeneration Plant
Maunsell Ltd

The new cogeneration plant at the Mangere wastewater treatment plant incorporates new mechanical innovations to reliably provide cleaned biogas to the 1.7-megawatt Jenbacher gas engines.

The mechanical design and installation of the new plant was complex and the project required considerable creativity and ingenuity. Some of the technologies deployed, such as zero-waste methane gas control, and noise and odour reduction measures, had not been implemented before in New Zealand or integrated in one plant on such a scale anywhere in the world.

The plant now produces up to 6.7 megawatts of electricity and 8 megawatts of hot water from the methane produced by the treatment plant’s digestion processes. Only small amounts of electricity from external sources are now required. These outcomes have been achieved with savings in the order of $2 million per annum when compared to the original processes.

The judges noted that the client praised the high professional standards and innovative ideas applied to mechanical aspects of the project, which contributed to a high-quality installation.

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