By 2030, nearly 6 million people will be using our sewerage system. This means more sewage to be treated and greater demand on our infrastructure. The 5 West Nutrient Removal Plant, also known as NRP, is a critical upgrade designed to process 150 million litres of wastewater per day. 

The Western Treatment Plant treats half of Melbourne’s sewage. Our new infrastructure will ensure we can meet growing needs, especially in the Western suburbs. Our current system uses a conventional nitrogen removal process, which follows four steps: ammonia is converted to nitrite, then nitrite to nitrate, and nitrate back to nitrite before finally becoming nitrogen gas for removal. 

At 5 West NRP, instead of going through all four steps, we use a shortcut nitrogen process, reducing it to just two steps. The benefit of this method is that it requires less oxygen, which means lower energy consumption to treat the same amount of wastewater. 

BMD Constructions have been contracted to deliver the project from procurement, construction, and commissioning perspectives. Once construction is complete, we ensure all components communicate and operate as designed. BMD is committed to supporting Melbourne Water in delivering this project, ensuring that as Melbourne expands, we have sufficient capacity to treat sewage coming into the Western Treatment Plant. 

As a principal process engineer at Jacobs, I design the overall biological process. It has been an honor to work with Melbourne Water on this project. In addition to reducing nitrogen, we are also making available carbon that can be used for renewable energy generation. 

This upgrade is critical for Melbourne Water, strengthening system resilience and supporting Melbourne’s growth. It ensures we can continue treating increasing volumes of sewage safely and efficiently while safeguarding the health of our environment, community, and future generations.