Electricity Generation from LFG at Trail Road and Nepean Landfills

Type of initiative FCM Green Municipal Fund - Plans, Studies, Pilots
Sector Energy
Project value$570,000
Project Type Feasibility Study
Sub Sector Waste to Energy – Landfill Gas
Grant amount$202,500
Program type GMF
Municipality City of Ottawa, ON
Status Fully Disbursed
Population 1,017,449
Project timeline 2007 - 2011
Project number 5720

Description

Energy Ottawa, a City of Ottawa municipally-owned utility, will study the feasibility of upgrading and expanding the landfill gas (LFG) collection system at the Trail Road and Nepean landfills and the building of a five megawatt generation facility to serve the two sites. Expanding and upgrading the system will not only increase the quantity of gas for electricity generation, but will also improve the quality of gas, (higher methane content and lower moisture content) which will increase electricity output to approximately 41,250 MWh of electricity per year from LFG, enough to serve 4,000 to 5,000 homes. This estimated electricity production would provide an annual reduction of 12,290 tonnes of CO2e, 27 tonnes of NOx, and 41 tonnes of SO2 over the existing generation mix. In addition, capturing the LFG will reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the landfill in the range of 550,000 to1.3 million tonnes per year. Depending on the rate of collection, the GHG emissions reductions from this collection system represents 5.2 to 12.0 per cent of the City of Ottawa’s total community emissions relative to 1990 levels.

Applicant

Power Trail Inc., ON