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The estimated contract figure is 5 million euros per year
ACCIONA Agua has been awarded the contract for the operation, conservation and maintenance of the thermal plant for the efficient treatment of sludge at Rubí (Barcelona province), which comes under the Catalan Water Agency (ACA).
The thermal drying plant at Rubí has a treatment capacity of around 30 000 metric tons (mt) of dehydrated sludge per year. The main objective is to reduce the mass and volume of the dry sludge that is left after the process, plus cleaning and stabilizing it. This dry sludge is a value-added product because it can be used for energy recovery as fuel, mainly in cement factories. The heat needed for the process is provided by combustion gases from a cogeneration plant with two 3 000 KW motors and a total electricity production capacity of 6 MW.
This is the second time ACCIONA has been awarded this operation and maintenance contract in the last five years. On this occasion, the service was provided from July 1st onwards and will run for a year - extendable for another year - and revenues of from the sale of the electric power produced are estimated at 5 million euros.
ACCIONA has previously built and operated a number of plants using similar technology in different locations in Spain, for example the facility in Loeches (annual treatment capacity 105 000 mt/year, evaporation capacity 10 mt per hour and electric power production 18 MW) and Fuengirola (treatment capacity 24 000 mt per year and evaporation capacity 2.3 mt per hour).
In recent months ACCIONA Agua has increased its presence in Catalonia through contracts for the renewal of contracts to operate, conserve and maintain the sanitation systems of the Montsià area; the conservation, maintenance and operation of the sanitation systems of Conca de Barberá (Tarragona); the conservation, maintenance and operation of the wastewater treatment plants in La Llagosta Group, and the wastewater pumping stations and sanitation network of the River Besos Basin Consortium (CDCRB). These contracts represent estimated total revenues of 12 million euros.