National Grid System that Converts Wastewater into Renewable Energy at DEP’s Newtown Creek Treatment Facility will Undergo Required Maintenance from August 14–19

August 13, 2024

Biogas-to-Grid System Has Significantly Reduced Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Improved Air Quality in 2024, Running 95% of the Time in May 2024

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today announced that the innovative biogas-to-grid renewable energy project at DEP's Newtown Creek Wastewater Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF) in Greenpoint will temporarily go offline to accommodate National Grid's required annual preventative system maintenance. During this downtime, scheduled by National Grid to take place from 8/14 to 8/19, residents that live near the facility may notice flaring. Flaring is the safe release of excess biogas into the air. Biogas is a byproduct of wastewater solids treatment, and the facility's biogas-to-grid system harvests biogas as a sustainable, renewable energy source. Since the system will be offline, the regularly produced biogas will now be flared off. DEP and National Grid have made massive reductions in the amount of system downtime and flaring, with the most recent data showing that the biogas-to-grid system was operational 95% of the time in May 2024. This resulted in 87% less flaring when compared to May of 2022, prior to the biogas-to-grid system coming online. Earlier this year, DEP made public a website where people can check the status of the biogas-to-grid project at any time, and the agency will be available to residents, elected officials, and local stakeholders to address their concerns during this maintenance period.

"I commend National Grid for their improved reliability record this year, and I'm pleased that DEP is making real-time information available so any New Yorker can see the status of this system. Methane is an inevitable by-product of treating sewage, and this system is a great way to recover energy and reduce local air pollution," said DEP Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala.

DEP is advancing New York City's circular economy by recovering energy and nutrients from the city's organic waste, including food scraps and wastewater. A circular economy is a system focused on reusing materials instead of discarding them, with the goal of recovering materials previously seen as waste. At the Newtown facility, DEP processes wastewater sludge and food scraps in giant mechanical stomachs called digesters. This biological process produces biosolids, which can be used as fertilizer, and biogas, a sustainable energy source. (A recent assessment of greenhouse gas emissions showed that digesting food scraps can have a comparable environmental benefit to direct composting.)

In June 2023, DEP partnered with National Grid to cut the ribbon on this innovative renewable energy project. This first-of-its-kind project produces a reliable source of clean, renewable energy, reducing the amount of organic waste sent to landfills, and is already improving air quality. By converting biogas into clean, renewable energy, this project reduces greenhouse gas emissions and improves air quality. From April 2023 to May 2024, the system produced 174,500 MMBtu of Renewable Natural Gas (RNG), which is enough to meet the annual heating requirements of 3,600 homes.

DEP also processed nearly 74,000 wet tons of organic material in May 2024, 92% of which was wastewater sludge and the remainder consisting of food waste. By converting food scraps and sludge to RNG, DEP reduced CO₂e emissions by 2,720 metric tons, equivalent to planting nearly 45,000 trees or not burning 307,000 gallons of gasoline. These emission reductions result from replacing fossil natural gas with RNG and avoiding the methane emissions associated with landfilling food scraps.

Through the end of May 2024, DEP has processed approximately 320,000 wet tons of food scraps at Newtown Creek WRRF that would have otherwise ended up in a landfill and emitted harmful greenhouse gases. This process combined with gas-to-grid results in net negative greenhouse gas emissions, meaning that the total emissions avoided is greater than the emissions generated.

The biogas-to-grid system initially came online in April 2023. However, National Grid took the system offline in September 2023 to perform repairs and system adjustments related to common first-year operational issues. From January 2024 to May 2024, the system has been operational 86% of the time. Even when fully operational, the system will occasionally come offline for maintenance and emergency events.

About the Department of Environmental Protection

DEP manages New York City's water supply, providing approximately 1 billion gallons of high-quality drinking water each day to nearly 10 million residents, including 8.8 million in New York City. The water is delivered from a watershed that extends more than 125 miles from the city, comprising 19 reservoirs and three controlled lakes. Approximately 7,000 miles of water mains, tunnels and aqueducts bring water to homes and businesses throughout the five boroughs, and 7,500 miles of sewer lines and 96 pump stations take wastewater to 14 in-city treatment plants. DEP also protects the health and safety of New Yorkers by enforcing the Air and Noise Codes and asbestos rules. DEP has a robust capital program, with a planned $29 billion in investments over the next 10 years. For more information, visit nyc.gov/dep, like us on Facebook, or follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter.

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