Waste Management and Reliant Energy will develop 12 green power projects in Texas
Waste Management Inc. (WMI) today announced its agreement with Reliant Energy (REI) to develop 12 landfill gas-to-energy projects in Texas. The projects demonstrate a growing confidence in landfill gas as a reliable, renewable energy resource.
"We are an environmental services company, and we are committed to being an industry leader in the best use of all of our natural resources," said A. Maurice Myers, president and CEO of WMI. "Landfill gas is a viable, alternative energy resource that already is meeting the power needs of many industries and communities in our operating areas."
WMI to deliver landfill gas
WMI will gather, transport and deliver landfill gas to REI at each of the 12 electric generation facilities, which are being built on WMI's landfill sites. The 12 "Green Power" projects will produce a total of 44 megawatts of electricity, enough to power approximately 13,000 homes. Landfills included in the project are the Atascocita landfill at Humble and the Blue Bonnet landfill in Houston. Others are located at Alvin, Security, Conroe, New Braunfels, Hutto, Temple, Waco, Sherman, Kingston, and Fort Worth.
Jenbacher will design, construct, and operate
Jenbacher Energiesysteme, LTD, the American subsidiary of Jenbacher AG, of Austria, will supply the engines that will be used to convert the gas into electricity. Jenbacher is the only manufacturer whose entire product line is dedicated to non-petroleum-based gases.
This specialization has resulted in Jenbacher's position as the world's leading supplier of engines utilizing landfill, wastewater treatment, and other low BTU gases. Jenbacher will be responsible for the design, construction, and operation of the plants used in the project.
The project engines are highly efficient and meet the most stringent of emissions ratings, which are, in part, controlled by Jenbacher's LEANOX control system, setting the industry standard for emissions controls.
An available and renewable energy source
"Waste Management has been actively developing landfill gas-to-energy projects for more than 15 years," said Chuck Williams, senior vice president, operations, for WMI. "This project will be the largest in magnitude and scope for our company."
Williams added: "It is encouraging to see the ready acceptance of landfill gas as a renewable, reliable energy source by the power industry. We are very pleased to join with Reliant Energy in such a project."
Landfill gas is produced through the natural breakdown of waste deposited in a landfill. The gas, which would otherwise be wasted, is a readily available, renewable energy source that can be gathered and used directly as medium Btu gas for industrial use or can be sold to gas-to-energy plants to fuel engine generators, which, in turn, generate electricity.
Waste Management, based in Houston, TX, currently supplies landfill gas to 38 landfill gas-to-energy projects and 35 medium Btu gas projects in 21 states across the United States. In all, the projects generate more than 140 MW of electricity.
Reliant Energy, also based in Houston, TX, is an international energy services and energy delivery company with $20 billion in annual revenue and assets totaling $30 billion.
Source: Waste Management Inc.
Edited by Kate Goff
Managing Editor, Solid Waste Online