Chevron Energy Solutions, a unit of Chevron, and the Marine Corps Logistics Base (MCLB) Albany have commenced the construction of a landfill gas cogeneration project for the Department of Navy.

The project will produce 1.9MW of renewable electric power and steam by burning landfill gas collected from a nearby landfill. Chevron Energy Solutions will also complete industrial lighting retrofits in 82 buildings and expand the existing energy management control system.

When combined with the cogeneration project, these measures will reduce the base’s purchase of utility power and reduce MCLB’s carbon emissions by 19,300 tons annually, equivalent to removing 16,000 cars from the road, Chevron said.

Chevron developed and designed the project and will maintain the landfill gas-to-energy facility, pipeline and landfill gas processing equipment. The new facility will house a dual-fuel engine generator, a stack heat recovery steam generator and two dual-fuel boilers.

The primary equipment can operate on landfill gas or natural gas, which provides energy security benefits. MCLB’s use of renewable power will increase to 19%, which exceeds the EPAct of 2005 and Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 mandate of 7.5% renewable power use by 2013.

Chevron and MCLB will share the operation of the generator and steam-producing equipment. Through an energy savings performance contract, Chevron has arranged the financing for the project, which is repaid through the energy costs avoided.

Dougherty county will extract and sell the landfill gas to MCLB from the Fleming/Gaissert Road Landfill, which receives approximately 100,000 tons of municipal solid waste each year. The biological decomposition of the waste generates landfill gas that is approximately 50% methane gas by volume.