A RECENT upgrade has ensured a Basingstoke waste site has become fully self-powering.

The Basingstoke sewage works, in Whitmarsh Lane, Chineham, now produces enough energy from waste to power the whole site after a recent £53m upgrade trebled its energy generation capacity.

Recently installed special reactors, similar to giant pressure cookers, heat up sewage from more than 130,000 people during the treatment process to help produce biogas.

This is then converted into more electricity to power the equivalent of 2,850 homes.

The site, run by Thames Water, is now using poo power, together with wind and solar, to generate around a quarter of Thames Water’s energy needs.

Matthew Gee, Thames Water energy and carbon efficiency manager, said: “This is a great accomplishment and we’re extremely proud to be an industry leader in using waste to create a more sustainable and greener business.

“Recent upgrades to the equipment used at Basingstoke, which treats enough sludge to fill 33 Olympic swimming pools every year, has trebled the amount of renewable energy we can generate. This is great news for us and our customers as it’s better for the environment and keeps costs down.”

As part of its £11.7 billion business plan for the period covering 2020-25, Thames Water will continue to invest in renewable energy solutions and aims to generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 115,000 homes.

This has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 66 per cent since 2015 and saved the equivalent of £30 million in energy costs last year.