Norfolk advances 650,000g/d effluent-reuse design for proposed synthetic gas plant
City of Norfolk, Nebraska · Meeting date: October 19, 2026 · Published: October 20, 2026
Norfolk City Council has approved a cost-sharing agreement with TotalEnergies Hydrogen Holding USA and an engineering contract with Olsson for 30% design of reuse-water improvements. The city said the work will examine filtering and pumping wastewater-plant effluent to the proposed facility, with TotalEnergies reimbursing design costs.
Key points
- Council unanimously approved the Phase 200 cost-sharing agreement with TotalEnergies Hydrogen Holding USA for the Live Oak project’s 30% engineering design work.
- Council unanimously awarded Olsson an engineering consultant agreement capped at $497,800 for the effluent-reuse improvements.
- The proposed system would screen and pump approximately 600,000-650,000 gallons per day of wastewater-treatment-plant effluent to the proposed facility in northeast Norfolk.
- The preliminary package covers a basis of design, execution plan, schedule and Class 4 cost estimate; staff expects the scope to take about four to five months.
Full report
Norfolk City Council has moved the proposed reuse-water supply for a synthetic natural gas development into preliminary engineering, approving agreements intended to produce a 30% design for a pipeline and treatment arrangement using effluent from the city’s wastewater plant.
The council voted unanimously on 19 October to approve a Phase 200 cost-sharing agreement with TotalEnergies Hydrogen Holding USA LLC. It also unanimously approved a consultant agreement with Olsson, valued at up to $497,800, for the reuse-water improvements associated with the Tree Energy Solutions project.
City staff said the proposed system would take treated effluent from Norfolk’s wastewater plant, filter or screen it at the plant and pump it to a proposed facility in the northeast part of the city. TotalEnergies would carry out additional filtration at its site, where the water would form part of the feedstock for synthetic natural gas production.
The planned supply volume is approximately 600,000-650,000 gallons per day, according to the city’s presentation. The engineering scope is intended to develop a basis of design, an execution plan and schedule, and a Class 4 cost estimate.
The financial structure places the preliminary-design cost on the project developer rather than the municipal utility. Staff said the city would be reimbursed throughout the design contract: once Olsson invoices the city, Norfolk would invoice TotalEnergies for reimbursement. In introducing the cost-sharing item, staff referred to an Olsson agreement of about $478,058; the subsequently approved consultant agreement set a not-to-exceed amount of $497,800.
Staff expects the design scope to require roughly four to five months, with completion targeted around late February or early March as part of the developer’s decision process for the project.
The approvals do not authorize construction. They establish the preliminary engineering and cost-sharing framework for a potential new non-potable demand source for the city’s wastewater effluent.
This summary was generated by AI based on the source document and may contain errors.
Source: City Council Meeting, City of Norfolk