New waste water treatment works in Winchburgh

A £35 million state-of-the-art, low carbon WWTW in Winchburgh will support an expected fourfold increase in the town’s population over the coming years.

Completion of the project was celebrated with an opening ceremony and tree-planting led by MSP Gillian Martin, Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy, Scottish Water’s chief executive Alex Plant and pupils from Winchburgh Primary School.

Winchburgh has a rich history, being at the centre of Scotland’s shale oil industry a century ago. It is now undergoing a fresh transformation, with 3800 new homes to be built by 2032, associated commercial development and community facilities.

Gillian said: “This new state-of-the-art facility delivers on the government’s key priorities of providing excellent public services and tackling climate change.

“It is a perfect example of Scottish Water’s determination to work collaboratively to find new innovative ways to deliver effective and efficient services while protecting the environment and delivering our net zero commitments.

“To be here at the opening ceremony alongside pupils from Winchburgh Primary School is the perfect reflection of how what we do today impacts the lives of future generations.”

The new works replace an ageing WWTW, located on adjacent land, which had come to the end of its operational life. It served fewer than 4000 customers, while the new facility is capable of supporting more than 16,000 people.

Its Nereda treatment technology reduces energy usage by up to 50 per cent, while providing an excellent standard of treatment to protect the environment.

The aerobic granular biomass at the heart of the technology enables multiple stages of the waste water treatment process to take place in one of three tanks, operating in sequence. This means more waste water can be treated faster and with less chemicals, in a smaller site area and with a much-reduced carbon footprint.

Winchburgh is only the second site in Scotland to use the low carbon technology, Inverurie being first.

Early collaboration in the design of the West Lothian site and learning from Inverurie enabled further significant carbon savings from using low carbon stainless steel rather than concrete for the main tanks, with reduced excavation and greater use of off-site fabrication.

Solar generation has also been fitted to the control building to meet a significant part of its remaining energy needs; and EV chargers have been installed to support Scottish Water’s vehicle fleet.

Alex Plant, Scottish Water chief executive, said: “What has been achieved at Winchburgh with our specialised supply chain partners is vital to the future of this community, but it also provides a blueprint for the future of our investment programme, supporting much-needed new homes and enabling sustainable economic growth.

“Our delivery of this project reflects a big step forward, driving down carbon emissions in construction without compromising on quality.”