Calderdale plan submitted for £40m state-of-the-art 'poo power' factory

A facility in Sheffield which is similar to plans being proposed for the Brighouse site

If plans by Yorkshire Water are approved the old sewage sludge incinerator in Brighouse built in 1992 will be demolished and make way for an energy and recycling centre converting human waste into electricity.

This is how the Brighouse 'poo factory' will make electricity from human waste

The new ‘poo-power’ technology, known officially as anaerobic digestion, will also reduce nitric oxide emissions from the site and help improve air quality.

Yorkshire Water’s communications advisor Mark Allsop said: "This scheme supports our commitment to invest in renewable energy and benefit the environment as we look at ways of reducing carbon emissions.

"Anaerobic digestion is a fantastic technology, heating up sludge to produce a bio-gas which is used to generate electricity. The new facility is expected to be ready to open by mid-2021.”

Investment in this unique type of renewable energy technology has played a leading role in reducing the firm’s carbon footprint, with 18 of its major sewage treatment works each generating electricity from this renewable source.

Located off Cooper Bridge Road next to the River Calder, Brighouse sewage treatment works was damaged during the 2015 Boxing Day Floods meaning sludge had to be transported off site to be treated elsewhere.