Ameresco begins construction of biogas cogeneration project in California

Ameresco Inc., a cleantech integrator specializing in energy efficiency and renewable energy, has entered into a nearly $140 million contract to develop and construct an advanced technology biogas cogeneration facility for the Sacramento Area Sewer District located at the EchoWater Resource Recovery Facility near Elk Grove, California. 

This on-site renewable energy facility will utilize biogas, a byproduct of the EchoWater Facility’s solids treatment process, to produce renewable electricity and heat for the EchoWater Facility through an integrated 13.4-megawatt (MW) cogeneration plant that will utilize fuel cell and engine technology.

By incorporating the fuel cell system, the project will reduce pollutant emissions, making it a clean, reliable baseload dispatchable resource. Additionally, the system will allow for the expandability to produce hydrogen in the future. 

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“SacSewer is committed to being a leader in environmental stewardship. Through our sustainable efforts in resource recovery, we maximize the reuse of treatment process by-products such as biogas,” SacSewer General Manager Chistoph Dobson says. “This project is yet another example of how we’re working every day to fulfill our mission of protecting public health and the environment by collecting, treating, and recovering resources from sewage.”

Construction of the new facility is expected to be completed by July 2026. 

“We are thrilled to partner with SacSewer, supporting their efforts to optimize the use of the biogas that is generated as a byproduct of the sewage treatment process,” says Michael Bakas, executive vice president of Ameresco. “Capturing and repurposing biogenic methane, that is already in our environment and produced by society, to displace fossil fuel is a powerful example of the circular economy in action, where waste is not discarded, but turned into a valuable asset. This voluntary act by SacSewer, backed by a material investment into this advanced renewable energy center, speaks volumes to their commitment to our environment and their surrounding community.”