[A major $30 million eco-friendly project is underway in Virginia Beach, Virginia, to convert gas generated during the wastewater treatment process into household energy.
According to major media reports, the Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD) plans to partner with local natural gas supplier Virginia Natural Gas to build a biogas upgrading facility on the grounds of an existing wastewater treatment plant. Once completed, the facility will produce enough renewable natural gas (RNG) to supply 5,000 households annually.
Currently, the treatment plant generates biogas—a mixture of methane, carbon dioxide, and other gases—through "anaerobic digestion," a process in which microorganisms break down organic matter in the absence of oxygen. However, this gas has been flared off without being utilized. The new project will install refining equipment to remove impurities from the biogas and inject it directly into Virginia Natural Gas's existing pipeline network via a 200-foot interconnect.
The total project cost of $30 million is expected to be funded through gas customer rates. If approved by the State Corporation Commission (SCC), gas bills are estimated to increase by an average of about 36 cents per household per month.
Carl Garofalo, representative of parent company Southern Company Gas, explained, "We will minimize rate increases for customers by accounting for the project's environmental benefits, such as carbon reduction. Once the project stabilizes, external gas purchase costs will decrease, which could benefit residents in the long run through rate credits."
A similar, smaller-scale success story already exists in Virginia. In 2022, the Western Virginia Water Authority partnered with the Roanoke Gas Company to construct an upgrading facility at the Roanoke wastewater treatment plant. It began normal operations in 2023 and currently supplies gas to 500 households. The Virginia Beach project will be ten times that size.
Meanwhile, as concerns arise over contamination from PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, often called "forever chemicals") resulting from the use of sewage sludge as agricultural fertilizer, the Virginia General Assembly is tightening legal standards to ensure the safety and eco-friendly utilization of wastewater treatment byproducts by strengthening regulations on their use.