Veolia Energy constructs its first US gas-to-energy facility

Veolia Energy North America announced its first landfill gas-to-energy project (LFGTE) in the United States at the Veolia Environmental Services North America Hickory Meadows landfill in eastern Wisconsin. The project, slated to commence operation in early summer 2011, will have the initial capacity to generate 42,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity per year.

Once complete, the 4.8-megawatt (MW) electrical generation facility will include 3 landfill reciprocating engine generator sets with a capacity of 1.6 MW each, fueled exclusively by the landfill gas. Landfill gas will be captured and sent via the landfill’s existing gas collection system to the conversion facility.

Veolia Energy has entered into a power purchase agreement with Wisconsin Public Service (WPS), the primary electricity and gas provider for northeastern Wisconsin residents. Upon completion, WPS will purchase all of the power generated by the plant, along with the associated Renewable Energy Credits.

As part of the 2005 Wisconsin Act 141, Wisconsin established a standard requiring utilities to meet a gradually increasing percentage of retail sales with qualified renewable sources with the goal of providing 10 percent of the state’s retail energy needs from renewable resources by 2015. Landfill gas qualifies as an eligible resource under Wisconsin’s standard.