Stantec, a leading global design and engineering firm, has completed designs for the Naivasha Treatment Plant (NTPx), an innovative fecal sludge treatment facility in Naivasha, Kenya that will generate sustainable biomass fuel. Once complete, the 145,000 sq. ft. facility will convert over 7,000 cubic feet of septage daily into Grade A biosolids. The resulting biosolids will be used to produce 1,200 tons of biomass briquettes per month.
“There is great potential in leveraging a circular economy to the benefit of our communities around the world,” said Eric Rawdon project manager with Stantec’s International Development Group. “With this project design, the residents of Naivasha will have much-needed access to a financially stable sanitation solution that also helps the environment.”
The first city-wide fecal sludge treatment plant in Kenya, NTPx is developed by Sanivation, a Kenyan-based firm creating sanitation systems that improve the environment and well-being of residents, and is partly funded by a grant from the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The project will provide a cost-effective and sustainable sanitation solution to a community of more than 350,000 residents, while helping protect the local environment. By selling these briquettes to local industries for commercial fuel, the project will play a significant role in offsetting deforestation in Kenya.
“The finalization of project design marks a notable milestone in our mission of delivering financially viable sanitation services,” said Emily Woods, one of the co-founders of Sanivation.
Stantec has provided engineering and advisory services for the design of the project. The team worked closely with Sanivation to deliver a strategy that balances operational and engineering design criteria with that of the treatment plant’s overall business model. Stantec engineers based in North America and Europe also collaborated with engineers in Kenya to provide capacity building on the design and maintenance of such facilities for long term project success.
Stantec’s International Development Group combines decades of expertise providing sustainable solutions to deep-rooted development challenges, with local knowledge and perspective to support international donors and financial institutions in improving the design, implementation, and oversight of development programs throughout the world. The team helps developing countries achieve resilient and equitable growth, transition to lower carbon economies, and protect water and other natural resources.
