WM, Westar to develop 6-MW landfill gas-to-energy facility
Waste Management Inc. is a leader in landfill gas-to-energy technology and provides services including landfill gas management, power plant construction and operation, and energy marketing. Image sourced from Waste ManagementWaste Management, Inc. has partnered with Westar Energy, Inc. to develop a six-megawatt (MW) landfill gas-to-energy (LFGTE) facility at its Rolling Meadows landfill. The facility will generate enough energy to meet the electricity needs of 6,000 households. Westar will purchase the clean, renewable energy, which will be delivered to them by next year.
Landfill gas has been endorsed by the US Environmental Protection Agency as a wise alternative energy resource to reduce the nation’s dependence on fossil fuels such as coal and oil. It can also be a source for waste-based, renewable energy that can generate distributed base load power.
When microorganisms break down the organic material in the landfill, it will produce a gas that is composed of approximately 50% to 60% methane and 40% to 50% carbon dioxide. The methane gas is used by LFGTE facilities to power the generators that offset the power from fossil fuels.
Jason Chan, District Manager for the Rolling Meadows landfill, said, “Our facility will benefit the local environment and economy because it will help offset the need for non-renewable resources such as coal, natural gas and oil.”
Waste Management is a pioneer at landfill gas-to-energy technology. Its Renewable Energy group supports municipal and private landfill operators which do not have the resources to develop LFGTE projects. The company aims to develop 60 LFGTE projects at its landfill by 2012, expecting to generate over 700 MW of energy to power 700,000 homes. Waste Management also targets to double its production of renewable energy to supply enough power for two million homes by 2020.
Waste Management, Inc. is a leading provider of comprehensive waste management services. The company is also the largest operator of LFGTE facilities in North America, with renewable energy projects at 112 of its landfills. Its headquarters is located in Houston, Texas.
Westar Energy, Inc. provides electric service to about 681,000 customers in Kansas, and has about 6,800 MW of electric generation capacity.
- Natassia Y. Laforteza
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1 http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Westar-Energy-Inc-NYSE-WR-1017734.html