getting more from bioresources energy without new assets
Water companies are being asked to achieve a lot at the same time. They are expected to increase energy self-sufficiency, reduce carbon emissions, and manage costs, all within tight regulatory and capital constraints.
In that context, a question comes up more often than it used to. Are we really getting the most out of the bioresources assets we already have?
For many organisations, the answer is no. There is still a gap between what existing CHP assets could deliver and what they generate in practice. That gap is rarely caused by the technology itself. More often, it reflects how the system is planned, operated, and maintained.
The encouraging part is that closing this gap does not necessarily require new investment. In many cases, performance improves when organisations sharpen their operational focus and rethink how work is done.
the hidden causes of underperformance
Across the sector, underperformance in sludge-based energy generation tends to follow a familiar pattern.
Unplanned downtime is often driven by reactive or poorly coordinated CHP maintenance. Engine overhauls can take longer than expected, creating gaps in availability that disrupt production. Maintenance backlogs reduce resilience and can destabilise digestion. Planning decisions are frequently made at individual site level, even when this limits performance across the wider system.
These challenges rarely reflect a lack of effort or capability. They usually arise when accountability is fragmented, priorities compete, and teams lack clear visibility of how operational decisions affect energy output.
what high performers are doing differently
Organisations that consistently generate more energy from the same assets take a more deliberate approach. Their performance advantage comes from a small number of practical shifts.
Aligning production planning to regional performance
Rather than optimising generation site by site, high performers plan energy production at a regional level. This allows them to balance demand with CHP availability and direct resources to where they have the greatest overall impact.
Reframing the role of operations
Energy generation is treated as a core operational outcome, not a secondary benefit. It is embedded in team structures, performance measures, and daily routines. This creates clearer decision-making and helps teams understand the consequences of trade-offs as they happen.
Tightening maintenance supplier management
High performers take an active role in managing maintenance partners. They set clear performance expectations, introduce proactive measures, and work collaboratively on improvement plans. Lean approaches to overhaul planning help reduce lead times and improve asset availability.
what is possible without new spend
Focusing on process, accountability, and operational discipline can deliver meaningful results.
In one recent case, an operator increased annual energy generation by nine percent, avoiding more than £1.8m in costs. CHP engine overhaul times were reduced by sixty-four percent. Maintenance team efficiency improved by seventeen percent, saving £370k. The work paid back within the year and delivered a return of more than ten times the initial investment.
All of this was achieved without investing in new technology or infrastructure.
are you leaving energy and value on the table?
Every wastewater treatment site has untapped potential, but real optimisation requires more than targets. It depends on the right focus, clear ownership, and routines that consistently convert sludge into reliable energy output.
If asset reliability remains a challenge, generation targets are being missed, or CHP performance feels harder to influence than it should, there is often value being left unrealised.
If you would like to understand what that value could look like in your own bioresources operation, we would be happy to share what we are seeing across the sector and how others are approaching it.