Ameresco and Republic Services develop gas to energy plant

The Republic Services Vasco Road Landfill located in Livermore, California, will be home to a new 4.3 megawatt landfill gas-to-electricity plant that will be designed, built, owned and operated by Ameresco, Inc.

As part of this $13 million project, Ameresco plans to capture the landfill gas generated at the Vasco Road Landfill and use it as fuel to generate power for homes and businesses in the Santa Clara and San Francisco Bay area. The project is scheduled to commence operations in late 2012.

Ameresco has entered into a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement with Silicon Valley Power, the City of Santa Clara’s electric utility, for the power from the project. As part of California’s Renewable Portfolio Standard, the state required retail sellers of electricity to serve 20 percent of their load with renewable energy by 2010. Now, all utilities must serve 33 percent of their load with renewable energy by 2020.

The Vasco Road Landfill, which is owned and operated by Republic Services, opened in 2001 and is one of the main recipients of refuse from residents and businesses in the North Livermore rural area. The landfill covers 323 acres of land and employs more than 14 area residents.