Proposed plant would turn methane into electricity

JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. -- A proposed power plant that could be located in Clark County would turn methane gas from a landfill into electricity.

Clark County commissioners planned to meet this week with a Bloomington-based electric cooperative to discuss a proposal to build a small power plant at the Clark-Floyd Landfill. Methane _ a byproduct of the garbage dump _ would be collected and used to power generators connected to an electrical substation.

The proposed plant would be the first of its kind for Hoosier Energy Rural Electric Cooperative Inc., which has 700,000 customers in 48 counties in central and southern Indiana. The proposed plant could provide power to about 1,500 homes, said Chris Tryba, communications manager for the company.

Ed Meyer, president of the Clark County commissioners, said Hoosier Energy and Clark County could tentatively agree on a deal this week. That would allow the company to study the project in greater detail, although a more formal contract would have to be signed before the plant could be built.

The two county governments would share revenue from the sale of the gas, and Hoosier Energy would receive a low-cost lease at the landfill to build the power plant, Meyer said.

Meyer said he did not know how much revenue the gas would produce for the counties, but at least it would save the estimated $40,000 to $50,000 a year now spent to collect and burn methane at the landfill.

Methane power plants help lower emissions of greenhouse gases, which have been linked to global warming, said Brian Guzzone, who oversees the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Landfill Methane Outreach Program.

Guzzone said methane is the second-biggest contributor of greenhouse gas in the United States after carbon dioxide, and that about 20 methane-powered plants are opened annually.

According to the EPA, there were 396 methane-powered electrical plants at landfills nationwide as of Jan. 9, including 17 in Indiana and four in Kentucky.

Information from The Courier-Journal of Louisville, Ky., http://www.courier-journal.com