Background

Water and wastewater services in Ciudad Juarez are provided by the local water utility, Junta Municipal de Agua y Saneamiento de Ciudad Juárez, (JMAS). The city has five wastewater treatment plants(WWTPs) with a total treatment capacity of 96.17 million gallons a day
(mgd). All the treatment plants have an activated sludge process.

In 1992, JMAS has worked under a build-operate-transfer (BOT) agreement with Degrémont for the construction and operation of the North and South WWTPs. In December 2014, JMAS and Degrémont executed a separate BOT agreement to develop a project to supply part
of the electricity needed to power the South WWTP. Upon termination of both BOT contracts in 2026, all equipment will become property of the JMAS.

Currently, the sludge from the North WWTP is pumped to the South WWTP, where it is mixed with the sludge from that plant before being pumped to the anaerobic digesters for treatment. Biogas generated from the sludge digestion process is currently captured and used to generate heat for the digestion process or burned off in a flare. After the digestion process, biosolids are currently dewatered in a belt press before being transported for final disposal in an authorized area of the Juarez municipal landfill.

Description

The Project consists of two components: 1) the design, construction
and operation of a 1.35-MW cogeneration facility; and 2) equipment acquisition and improvements to the sludge management system at the South WWTP.

The new installations will include washing, drying and blowing systems to ensure the optimal quality of the biogas, as well as two 675- kW generators.