Tue, 05/29/2018 - 09:56

ANDERSON, Calif. – Schneider Electric today announced it will pursue a $2.7 million grant from the California State Water Resources Control Board to help fund an infrastructure improvement project at the city of Anderson’s Water Pollution Control Plant. When approved, the proposed project will improve energy efficiency in the plant’s aeration process and add a solar array that will make the plant a net zero energy facility. The grant will be used to install aeration controls to improve accuracy and reduce energy waste during the wastewater oxidation process. These improvements will reduce the plant’s utility costs by 25 percent. The remaining balance of the plant’s annual utility costs will be entirely eliminated through the installation of a 539-kilowatt solar array. In total, the upgrades will improve plant performance and generate $4.7 million in savings over the life of the project. “We knew we needed to improve the energy-intensive aeration process at our wastewater treatment plant, but we didn’t have funding available to make the necessary upgrades,” said Jeff Kiser, Anderson city manager. “Schneider Electric’s reputation for helping communities in California’s Central Valley secure grants to improve their water management systems made this decision a no-brainer. They developed the best approach to meet our efficiency goals and remain invested in understanding our unique needs. We look forward to working with them to secure this grant, while building resilience and security in our wastewater infrastructure.” Schneider Electric was chosen through a competitive request for qualification process that involved three other businesses vying for selection. Construction is expected to begin as early as September 2018. “We are proud to help the city of Anderson pursue this unique funding opportunity to take on a critical wastewater infrastructure project at no cost to taxpayers,” said Tammy Fulop, Schneider Electric. “At Schneider Electric, we are committed to helping both small and large municipalities throughout the U.S. achieve the highest standards for infrastructure improvements while driving sustainability initiatives forward.” Over the past 25 years, Schneider Electric has successfully implemented more than 700 energy savings performance contract (ESPC) projects across the nation, saving its clients nearly $2 billion. This project delivery method helps publicly funded entities make capital improvements through a design-build delivery and offers many long-term benefits such as improved efficiency, operational performance, financial management and environmental protection. For more information, please visit www.schneider-electric.us/enable.