Anaerobic digester engineering tender called

The Cape Breton Regional Municipality has issued a request for proposals for engineering services related to a wastewater sludge anaerobic digestion with combined heat and power project.

In August, it was announced that the CBRM would receive more than $750,000 in federal funding for the project. The CBRM has budgeted $1 million for the project, the tender document states.

The CBRM is building a small anaerobic digester at the Battery Point Wastewater Treatment Plant to process the sludge and capture the resulting biogas to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 60 per cent.

The project requires an owner’s engineer to provide engineering consulting services who will work directly for the CBRM to ensure the successful delivery of the project, the tender document notes. The owner’s engineer is to ensure it is completed on time, on-budget and in full compliance with industry standards. The CBRM is also requiring the successful bidder to work collaboratively with the Verschuren Centre at Cape Breton University. The tender also notes that proponents can assume a project start date of June 2019.

The CBRM’s two wastewater treatment plants currently produce 1,821 tonnes of sludge annually. The sludge is transferred to a local solid waste facility and then trucked off Cape Breton where it is put in a landfill. Greenhouse gas emissions are associated with landfilled organics and the diesel fuel used for transporting the sludge. There are major odour complaints in the community.

Power generated by the new digester is intended to offset both electricity costs and oil-fired heating costs at the facility. Given that biogas will be produced on-site and used for electricity and thermal production, there will be less risk associated with a disruption to fuel or electrical supply

The tender closes Oct. 18.