It is the first renewable energy generation facility owned and operated by Gulf Power, and the first landfill gas facility by its parent Southern Company. The energy capacity can be expanded as landfill methane gas production expands in the future.
The partnership between Gulf Power and Escambia County was launched officially in February, when Gulf Power broke ground on its $5.3-million facility. Gulf Power has a contract with Escambia County for the purchase of landfill gas and with LFG Technologies Development to build and operate the landfill gas-to-energy facility.
Educational tours soon will be available for school groups and the community. A ribbon-cutting event hosted by Gulf Power and Escambia County is scheduled for Oct. 27.
“The project showcases how Gulf Power can partner with Escambia County and other communities to produce affordable renewable energy while providing tremendous benefits for our community and the environment,” said Sandy Sims, manager of Gulf Power Public Affairs. “We will produce renewable electricity that will benefit Gulf Power customers and create revenue for Escambia County. And it gives us an opportunity to teach schoolchildren about renewable energy.”
Landfill methane gas is one of the most cost-effective forms of renewable energy, forming naturally by bacterial decomposition of organic material in landfills.
Municipal solid waste landfills are the second largest human-generated source of methane emissions in the United States and methane is one of the most potent forms of greenhouse gases — 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Escambia County has a collection system in place and pipes the gas to the facility, where it is processed for use by the specially designed Caterpillar 1,600-kilowatt landfill gas generators. Water separated from the landfill gas will be re-used by the Landfill for its leachate system.
Source : Press Release
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