DC Water plans microgrid for one of world’s largest wastewater treatment plants; issues solicitation

March 15, 2022
One of the largest wastewater treatment plants in the world — Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant in Washington, DC — plans to build a microgrid. DC Water has issued a request for proposals seeking consulting services.

The District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water) is seeking consulting services for a microgrid to be installed at the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant, one of the largest wastewater treatment plants in the world, located in Washington, DC.

The authority will hold a non-mandatory pre-proposal conference on March 16 at 1 pm ET for those interested in participating in the request for proposals (RFP).

The RFP seeks a consultant to develop a road map and feasibility studies for the project. The roadmap will identify a portfolio of projects to be implemented over time.

Proposals are due May 5, 2022 (DCW-SOL-22-10161). The authority anticipates awarding a single, three-year contract for an estimated amount of $4 million.

DC Water hopes to achieve a series of goals through the microgrid project, among them:

  • Improve safety by replacing manual load switching with remote control load switching 
  • Maintain electric reliability
  • Reduce operational costs
  • Invest effectively in infrastructure
  • Enable management and optimization of distributed energy resources at Blue Plains
  • Expand power analytics and reporting
  • Improve power quality
  • Support Sustainable DC climate goals
  • Improve energy resilience

The March 16 pre-proposal meeting is virtual and can be accessed via a Microsoft Teams meeting, or by calling 202-753-6714, phone conference ID: 375 503 035# 

The contact for more information is Ines Eden, DC Water Capital Procurement, [email protected].

An independent authority, DC Water distributes drinking water and collects and treats wastewater for more than 702 residents and 23.8 million annual visitors in the District of Columbia. DC Water also provides wholesale wastewater treatment services for 1.6 million people in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties in Maryland and Fairfax and Loudoun counties in Virginia. The authority  operates more than 1,350 miles of pipes, four pumping stations, five reservoirs, four elevated water storage tanks, 43,860 valves and 9,500 public hydrants. To collect wastewater, DC Water operates 1,800 miles of sanitary and combined sewers, 22 flow-metering stations, and nine off-site wastewater pumping stations.

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