On April 5, 2007, the city of Los Angeles celebrated a groundbreaking of the nation’s first power plant fueled by human waste.
The Terminal Island Renewable Energy project will burn so-called biosolids as fuel to produce electricity. The plant will use deep-well injection technology. Treated biosolids from the water reclamation facility at the same location will be injected into depleted oil and gas reservoirs a mile below ground. The waste will emit methane gas, which will be captured and burned to generate electricity.
When completed, the facility is expected to produce about 3.5 megawatts of electricity, which is enough to power 3,000 homes per year.
Terralong Technologies developed this project in cooperation with the city’s Public Works Department.EC