$1.74 million grant awarded to Easton Area Joint Sewer Authority

HARRISBURG, July 14 – The Easton Area Joint Sewer Authority today was awarded a $1.74 million state grant, announced Rep. Robert Freeman.

“This funding will be a big help to the sewer authority as it works to implement an important alternative energy project. I’m glad to see the state was able to provide this grant to save local taxpayers from having to fully fund it,” said Freeman, D-Northampton.

The Commonwealth Financing Authority approved the Alternative and Clean Energy Program grant to build a biogas cogeneration system, with a total cost of $6 million, at the wastewater treatment plant in Easton.

The system will include purchasing and installing an approximate 700 kW combined heat and power system, modifying a secondary anaerobic digester that is on-site to be a primary digester and building a fats, oils and greases receiving and pre-treatment facility. The system will be able to receive approximately 13,000 gallons of FOGs daily. The FOG will be treated and fed to the upgraded anaerobic digester, which will produce biogas. The biogas will then feed to the CHP system to generate electricity through an internal combustion engine genset.

The system will generate approximately 4,002 MWh annually, with the electricity generated supplied to the facility downstream of the feed from the utility, which will offset electrical demand from the utility grid. The system is also anticipated to offset thermal energy needs by approximately 22,050 MMBtu annually.