June 23, 2023. WSSC Water and Montgomery County recently entered into a five-year agreement that will literally turn poop into power. Thanks to the construction of the innovative Piscataway Bioenergy Facility, methane gas captured during the wastewater treatment process will be upgraded to renewable natural gas (RNG) and sold to the county to power their Ride On buses. During the monthly meeting, WSSC Water Commissioners were briefed on the agreement to generate an estimated $700,000 per year in revenue for WSSC Water while reducing the utility’s greenhouse gas emissions.
“The Montgomery County government is always seeking innovative and sustainable practices in order to reduce carbon emissions,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “This agreement to turn methane gas into fuel for our buses is a win-win-win for our constituents, commuters and, most importantly, our environment. I appreciate the efforts of WSSC Water to work with us to create this agreement. Increasing the efficiency and reliability of our Ride-On bus system is critical toward the County’s goal of a 100% carbon emission reduction by 2035. This agreement, along with our new electric buses and microgrids are important improvements within our fleet of Ride-On vehicles.”
The Piscataway Bioenergy facility will transform how WSSC Water handles biosolids, the nutrient-rich organic material resulting from wastewater treatment. Maryland’s largest water utility currently produces about 8,000 tons of biosolids monthly. Once construction of the bioenergy facility is complete in the fall of 2024, all biosolids from WSSC Water’s five other plants will be delivered to the new facility. Through innovative technology, the amount of biosolids left over from the new treatment process will be significantly reduced and cleaner (Class A). A state-of-the-art digestion process creating these Class-A biosolids will generate methane gas, which will be captured and upgraded on site to RNG.
“Utilities are looking for any way to reduce costs and diversify revenues to take the pressure off customer rates,” said WSSC Water General Manager and CEO Kishia L. Powell. “The Piscataway Bioenergy project will generate revenue and save our customers more than $3.4 million annually by reducing operating costs. Completing this innovative project will also help reduce WSSC Water’s greenhouse emissions by 13 percent, complementing existing strategies to reduce our carbon footprint. I thank the leadership of both Montgomery and Prince George’s counties for approving funding to advance this crucial infrastructure project.”