AN UPGRADED plant which turns 'poo into power' was formally unveiled today at the Esholt water treatment works in Bradford.

The £33 million development is part of a £56 million investment which has helped to increase Bradford-based Yorkshire Water’s renewable energy generation by nearly 80 per cent.

The company said the substantial improvement at the site would help to generate an expected 75 gigawatt hours of energy this year, enough to make over three billion cups of tea, by converting sewage.

This is expected to help Yorkshire Water reduce its carbon footprint by nearly 15,000 tonnes and also reduce the cost of powering its sites around the region. The company's work would generate enough bio gas to fill more than 3,000 hot air balloons.

The BioThelys Sludge Treatment Plant at Esholt is playing a major part in the supply of biofuel and renewable energy being achieved by Yorkshire Water.

Richard Flint, chief executive, said: “This is a big step in the right direction for us, not only are we reducing our impact on the environment but also cutting down on power costs at the same time.

“Our investment in state of the art sites like Esholt will also stand us in good stead for decades to come, also reducing the amount of money we’ll need to invest in maintenance and improvements.”

Mr Flint said treating more sludge than ever is one of the main reasons for the surge in renewable energy being generated by Yorkshire Water; with 97,000 tonnes now being dealt with at the company’s “top 11” sites around the region, an increase of 48 per cent in the last year.

Methane gas is captured from the sludge as part of the process so it can be used to create a biofuel which can be burned to generate power.

Alongside the major Esholt investment, the company has also spent £23 million on anaerobic digestion technology at its Blackburn Meadows treatment works in Sheffield and significant sums have also been dedicated to improving facilities at other sites.

Upgrades have been made to settlement tanks and the screens used to remove objects from the waste that arrives at site. Incineration of sludge has also been further reduced as a result of the investments.