EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg has submitted the official permit application for the construction of a future-oriented sewage sludge cogeneration plant to the Stuttgart Regional Council: The plant is to go into operation in 2026 and recycle municipal sewage sludge in cooperation with the EnBW subsidiary Mobile Schlammentwässerung.Due to the coal phase-out, sewage sludge can no longer be co-incinerated in coal-fired power plants in the future. In addition, cities and municipalities as operators of sewage treatment plants already have to prove concepts for the recovery of the raw material phosphorus contained in sewage sludge. Due to the distortions on the raw material markets, this raw material, which is absolutely necessary for the fertilizer and detergent industry, is becoming increasingly scarce. In a next step, phosphorus can be recovered from the sewage sludge ash produced in the plant. This means that EnBW's design plans in Walheim have high priority, also due to the current geopolitical situation.With theme-specific plant tours for the public, a project-owned citizens' telephone and regional flyer campaigns, EnBW has been providing an insight into the project since 2021 and made it possible to help shape the new plant in various exchange rounds with stakeholders. Thus, citizens' wishes and ideas were included in the project planning. For example, the construction volume of the plant could be significantly reduced compared to the original plans and extensive greening and renaturation measures will restore large areas of today's coal dump to a near-natural state, both of which will have a positive effect on the visibility of the new plant and its surroundings. In addition, the new plant will generate regional green energy in the form of electricity and heat, which will be available to supply surrounding communities.With the application now submitted, the approval process has officially been initiated at the Stuttgart Regional Council as the responsible immission control authority. In the coming weeks, the authorities involved will first check the submitted documents for completeness before checking the accuracy of their content. In the further course of the approval process, the public will also be able to view the approval documents publicly and comment on them. The final decision on the approval of the building application could then be made at the end of 2023. Only after approval will the construction of the new plant start.
EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg has submitted the official permit application for the construction of a future-oriented sewage sludge cogeneration plant to the Stuttgart Regional Council: The plant is to go into operation in 2026 and recycle municipal sewage sludge in cooperation with the EnBW subsidiary Mobile Schlammentwässerung.Due to the coal phase-out, sewage sludge can no longer be co-incinerated in coal-fired power plants in the future. In addition, cities and municipalities as operators of sewage treatment plants already have to prove concepts for the recovery of the raw material phosphorus contained in sewage sludge. Due to the distortions on the raw material markets, this raw material, which is absolutely necessary for the fertilizer and detergent industry, is becoming increasingly scarce. In a next step, phosphorus can be recovered from the sewage sludge ash produced in the plant. This means that EnBW's design plans in Walheim have high priority, also due to the current geopolitical situation.With theme-specific plant tours for the public, a project-owned citizens' telephone and regional flyer campaigns, EnBW has been providing an insight into the project since 2021 and made it possible to help shape the new plant in various exchange rounds with stakeholders. Thus, citizens' wishes and ideas were included in the project planning. For example, the construction volume of the plant could be significantly reduced compared to the original plans and extensive greening and renaturation measures will restore large areas of today's coal dump to a near-natural state, both of which will have a positive effect on the visibility of the new plant and its surroundings. In addition, the new plant will generate regional green energy in the form of electricity and heat, which will be available to supply surrounding communities.With the application now submitted, the approval process has officially been initiated at the Stuttgart Regional Council as the responsible immission control authority. In the coming weeks, the authorities involved will first check the submitted documents for completeness before checking the accuracy of their content. In the further course of the approval process, the public will also be able to view the approval documents publicly and comment on them. The final decision on the approval of the building application could then be made at the end of 2023. Only after approval will the construction of the new plant start.
