£140m upgrades due for Ellesmere Port Wastewater Treatment Works

United Utilities will be replacing its anaerobic digestion facility at the plant with one capable of breaking down waste bacteria faster and more comprehensively – provided it can secure planning permission from Cheshire West and Chester Council.

Ellesmere Port Wastewater Treatment Works sits off the A5117 and is one of the largest sites in Cheshire operated by United Utilities.

The plant is due the upgrade as its existing standard anaerobic digestion facility is at the end of its life and will require decommissioning, according to a planning statement from Jacobs.

Installing an advanced anaerobic digestion facility at the plant has an added benefit of generating more biogas, a renewable energy source that can be used a fuel source or pumped into the grid.

“The upgraded facility will play an important role in meeting future wastewater treatment requirements while helping to reduce carbon emissions,” said Tom Lissett, United Utilities’ bioresources and green energy director.

“It is designed to deliver benefits now and enable us to deliver future innovations, including the ability to increase biogas production and capture CO2 when new technologies become more readily available.”

In addition to Jacobs, the project team for the wastewater treatment works upgrades include Arup and Murphy.

The scheme will take around three years to deliver, with the peak construction period anticipated to be in 2028.

To learn more about the project search reference 26/02550/FUL on Cheshire West and Chester Council’s planning portal.