Veolia Energy North America, an operator and developer of sustainable energy systems, has begun the construction of a 4.8MW landfill gas-to-energy project (LFGTE) in the US at the Veolia Environmental Services North America Hickory Meadows landfill, located in eastern Wisconsin.
The project will include three 1.6MW landfill reciprocating engine generator sets, fueled exclusively by the landfill gas, which will be captured and sent through the landfill’s existing gas collection system to the facility, where it will be transformed into electricity.
The project that is slated to commence operation in early summer 2011will have the initial capacity to generate 42,000MWh of electricity per year, enough to power 2,800 homes and reduce carbon dioxide emission by over 25,000 tons each year.
The power generated by the plant, along with the Renewable Energy Credits associated with the energy output will be sold to Wisconsin Public Service (WPS), a provider of primary electricity and gas, under a power purchase agreement.
The Hickory Meadow landfill gas-to-energy project is expected to help WPS achieve its Renewable Portfolio Standard requirements that need utilities to meet 10% of Wisconsin’s retail energy needs from renewable resources by 2015.