From trash to fuel: How Ada County plans to convert landfill methane into natural gas
A new agreement between Ada County and a Dallas-based company promises to dramatically cut down the amount of methane — an extremely potent greenhouse gas — that escapes from the landfill into the atmosphere.
The Ada County Commission on Tuesday approved an agreement with LFG Development to convert methane collected from the landfill into natural gas, which will then be sold to Intermountain Gas Co., in a significant upgrade to the landfill’s infrastructure. It’s expected to become operational sometime in 2023.
LFG Development has overseen methane operations at the Ada County landfill’s Hidden Hollow operation since 2018, but in a much smaller capacity. CEO Ahren Tryon told the Idaho Statesman that the project will help the landfill serve a rapidly growing county, while cutting down on the emissions it produces.
“It allows the operation for the renewable plant to grow along with the amount of gas that is being generated in the landfill,” Tryon said.
LFG hopes to capture all methane gas from landfill
Estimates vary, but the United Nations estimates that methane is up to 80% more potent at warming the planet than carbon dioxide and is responsible for about 30% of global warming as a whole. Some of the largest producers of methane include farms, oil and gas fields, and landfills.
Under the previous agreement, LFG Development captured only about half the methane to sell as electricity to Idaho Power, while burning the remaining half. Tryon said that resulted in a lot of methane going to waste instead of being used for energy. The goal will be to utilize nearly all of the gas.
The agreement between LFG and the county will last for 20 years, with LFG paying annual royalties to the county based on the amount of gas extracted from the landfill. Tryon said those royalty payments could add up to around $1 million a year, although that can increase.
LFG will also spend $25 million to $30 million on capital costs for constructing a new plant on the landfill, with the goal of shutting down the Hidden Hollow plant once the new plant is up and running, Tryon said.
Landfills produce large quantities of methane gas as the piles of garbage decompose underground. Landfill Director of Operations Jess Asla said the Ada County landfill produces about 3,000 cubic feet of methane per minute. Landfills are the third-largest producer of methane emissions, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
The idea behind the operation is fairly simple: Capture methane gas and sell it to local utility companies for power, instead of letting it escape into the air. This is done by placing pipes beneath the landfill, which transport the gas to a plant for purification before being sold.
Ben Otto, of the Idaho Conservation League, said landfill gas projects are safer than traditional forms of extracting methane from natural gas fields, which often are from fossils.
“There’s a lot of leaking that occurs, there’s fracking and a lot of water quality issues that come from drilling deep into the ground for gas,” Otto said. “We’re taking something closer to home, using it much closer, and avoiding all the drilling.”
LFG and the county expect that some of the funds generated could be used to offset landfill costs. Asla said the landfill earns its revenues through fees collected from users, not taxpayer dollars. Additional funds from the landfill gas program might lead to lower fees.
Landfill workers’ safety a ‘paramount concern’
Ada County’s infrastructure agreement comes as the planet experiences the dangerous side effects of global climate change. The World Health Organization said last year that climate change is expected to lead to 250,000 additional deaths globally from 2030 to 2050. Scientists have also pointed to climate change as a factor behind an increasing number of wildfires, hurricanes and other natural disasters.
“(Climate change) is just a profoundly important issue right now and it has really driven a lot more interest in these kinds of projects,” Tryon said.
The process is not without risk. Methane is a highly flammable gas, and the U.S. Fire Administration estimates there are about 8,300 dump fires a year. Tryon, who has a background as a federal pipeline safety official, said his company has accounted for the safety risks in the design of the plant.
“It is most important to us to not just minimize environmental impacts, but to put as a paramount concern the safety of the landfill employees,” he said.
And while this is LFG’s first renewable natural gas project, it’s unlikely to be the company’s last. LFG is in development talks with other local governments in Idaho and across the U.S., Tryon said.
This story was originally published February 9, 2022 at 4:00 AM.
.jpg)