Above and beyond the technical expertise involved, the project's originality lies in its ability to transform an ordinary, nondescript building into a showcase plant open to the public.
With its carefully planned architecture, the plant will be one of the first in the world to provide an "environmental learning center" that will host throngs of visitors brought in by electrically powered buses run by Veolia Transport.
Other site highlights include a landscaped garden, a viewing platform, spas and cafés. Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies will cover planning and design, and will carry out much of the work on the project.
Veolia Water and Veolia Environmental Services will jointly operate the facility on the basis of a 15-year contract.
The plant will provide a daily treatment capacity of 2,000 metric tons and will handle all sludge from 11 treatment facilities in the region, eventually generating over 20MW of electricity.
At full capacity, the plant will produce more energy than it needs for its own purposes: the site provides its own water supply (with a seawater desalination unit producing up to 600 cubic meters of drinking water per day) and electricity. Surplus power will be made available to the local electricity network.