They say one man's trash is another man's treasure.
Officials with the municipality of Anchorage and Matanuska Electric Association hope to make that true. They are finalizing a plan that would convert the methane gas generated at the Anchorage Regional Landfill into electricity.
If constructed, the methane generator facility would be the first of its kind in Alaska.
“It's something we've been talking about and studying the possibility of for a couple of years, since 2004,” said Randy Virgin, director of sustainability for the municipal Department of Economic and Community Development.
The proposed project carries a $7.4 million price tag, which the city would like to split with a partner utility. MEA's board of directors voted during an Oct. 27 meeting to support the project.
“The utility has a goal to be producing electricity from renewable resources and this project is a step in that direction,” MEA's in-house attorney Jim Walker said. “As long as the division of responsibility continues to work as development of this project proceeds and equitable gas purchase and land lease agreements can be reached, MEA is willing to commit to financing 50 percent of the initial construction cost.”
The municipality is seeking a $3.7 million grant from the Alaska Energy Authority to fund its half of the project.
The landfill currently burns 30 million Btu's of methane an hour in an enclosed flare stack, said Mark Madden, municipal director of Solid Waste Services.
The city and utility instead hope to capture, clean and use the methane to power a pair of 1.6-megawatt generators.
Once online, the methane from the landfill would provide enough electricity to power to an estimated 2,500 homes. That's roughly enough to power all the homes in Chugiak.
A third generator could be added in 2018 and there is a possibility for a fourth if the level of methane gas being produced at the landfill remains high, Walker said.
The generator building would be relatively small.
“I believe people won't even notice the additional facility once it's complete,” Madden said. “It will look like a shop or maintenance garage.”
The project is not without challenges. Methane cannot be burned in traditional natural gas-powered generators.
“The main problem with landfill methane is that it contains chemicals that can't be burned unless it is cleaned,” Walker said. “Even then it can only be burned in a converted diesel generator because of the corrosive nature of the gas. That means there is a higher maintenance cost.”
The facility that harnesses the methane would last 60 years. Although the landfill is expected to close in 2043, it will continue to produce methane for several years afterward, Madden said.
