Daldowie Bioresources Investment Project
Project Overview
We are planning a multi-million-pound investment in a waste water sludge processing plant in Daldowie Glasgow, which treats waste from hundreds of thousands of households across the Glasgow, North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire areas.
Previously operated by Drax under a Public Finance Initiative (PFI), the plant is coming back into Scottish Water ownership after 25 years. We have a significant amount of investment planned to upgrade the sludge processing activities on site.
This investment is key to replace ageing infrastructure and ensure operations are as efficient as they can be.
At a Glance
- Multi-million-pound investment
- Improved efficiency
- Greener processes
- Construction planned to begin 2027
What We Are Doing
We are replacing an ageing waste water sludge processing plant in Daldowie, introducing innovative new technologies to enhance carbon efficiency and reduce operational costs.
State-of-the-art technology will mean bioresources can be treated to a higher quality, allowing them to be recycled for agricultural purposes. The new technology will use thermal hydrolysis to treat the sludge, killing off any harmful bacteria, and prepare it for anaerobic digestion – a biological process that takes place in enclosed tanks. The digestion process will reduce the volume of material and produce biogas containing methane.
The biogas will be used to produce heat and electricity for the treatment process with excess gas being injected into the national gas network, displacing fossil fuel derived gas. Any remaining biosolids will have any excess water removed. This will reduce volume and produce a soil like fertiliser product that will be recycled to agricultural land.
We anticipate construction will begin in 2027, with the new facility expected to become operational by 2031.
Existing Site
The new plant will be built on land adjacent to the existing facility in Daldowie. Construction is expected to begin in 2027 and is anticipated to take around four years for completion.
Why We Are Doing It
The existing technology at the plant, while fitting for when it was first constructed, has aged and is expensive to operate and maintain. The modern technology that will be implemented through this project will enable us to maximise the benefits from bioresources and give us a sustainable and more beneficial outlet for the biosolids it produces.
When the facility is built, as part of the wider Scottish Water bioresource strategy, it will treat nearly twice as much bioresource as it does currently.
The plant services Glasgow City, and North and South Lanarkshire, and with the production of waste water bioresources across that area set to increase by 3% by 2040 due to planned growth. At present, there is not enough capacity at Daldowie to accommodate this growth.
Daldowie Site
This map shows the existing footprint of the waste water treatment works in Daldowie.
Latest Update
With plans at a very early stage, it's important to note that discussions around this project are ongoing with key partners.
We hope to submit planning later this year, once we have carried out significant engagement with our customers and key stakeholders.
We'll share more information when we can.
