Chinese utility Dongguan Water Group has awarded SUEZ a contract to design, supply, and install technologies and engineering services to construct a local large-scale stand-alone sludge incineration plant.
Designed to handle 2,000 tonnes of municipal sludge daily, this state-of-the-art facility will serve over 50 wastewater treatment plants across the Chinese city of Dongguan, making it one of the largest of its kind in the world.
Expected to be operational within 30 months, the facility will transform significant volumes of municipal sludge into an estimated 96 million kWh of local sustainable electricity annually at full capacity — sufficient to power 400,000 households for a month. It will also help reduce about 55,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year. This initiative highlights the commitment of both SUEZ and Dongguan Water Group to meeting Dongguan’s comprehensive waste management needs, while promoting sustainable energy solutions and advancing China’s carbon neutrality goals.
Feng Luo, Executive Director of Dongguan Shangyuan Huanneng Science and Technology Company Limited, a subsidiary of Dongguan Water Group, noted, “The Dongguan sludge centralised treatment and disposal project stands as a pivotal endeavour of the local municipal government, aligning with its commitment to green and low-carbon development. This initiative prioritises effective management of sludge and water resources, alongside robust measures for water pollution prevention and control, all aimed at fostering a more picturesque Dongguan. Our collaboration with SUEZ, a global leader in environmental services, in jointly promoting this landmark project highlights our commitment and resolution to environmental protection and sustainable development. It also demonstrates our expertise and technological innovation in minimising, harmlessly treating and converting sludge into resources. We look forward to growing the Dongguan centralised sludge disposal facility into a world-class model project in sludge reduction and resource utilisation for developing a green and low-carbon circular economy.”