Landfill Gas to Energy

About the Program

Category: County Resiliency (Best in Category)

Year: 2014

The Prince William County Landfill Gas to Energy expansion project planning began in 2006. It required coordination between the County, Fortistar, the owner and operator of the landfill gas power plant and Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative (NOVEC), the local electric utility. The County and Fortistar negotiated and received approval for amendments to the landfill gas use agreement in order to obtain bank financing. The County financed the electrical interconnect for the project, which will be paid back by Fortistar through increased revenue sharing of the electric revenue. A interconnect agreement and promissory note were negotiated and approved for this element of the project. Once the Agreements and County financing of the interconnect were approved, Fortistar was able to finalize its power purchase agreement with NOVEC and complete its financing for the energy plant. After seven years of difficult and persistent researching, planning, navigating government processes and negotiating agreements, the Prince William County Solid Waste Division received the green light to proceed. The project was designed, built and put into service on October 28, 2013, on time and on budget. Fortistar owns and manages the power plant and sells the electricity it produces to NOVEC. The five engine facility generates 6.87 megawatts, meeting the electricity needs of 5000+ residents. The energy generated will meet over one percent of NOVEC’s total annual requirement, a significant contribution, at a competitive price. The original two engines only generated 1.9 megawatts and served more than 1,500 households. The landfill system is specifically designed to capture and process the gas produced by the decaying trash in the landfill. The collected gas is fed into engines that generate electricity. Local residents benefit from a reliable source of energy generated from refuse and a substantial reduction in methane gas being flared into the atmosphere. Before this expansion project, approximately 25 percent of the methane gas was used by the engines. Now, 90 percent of the gas is used and the remainder gas being flared has low methane content not suitable for energy recovery. Prince William Energy is a great example of an ongoing successful public/ private partnership and is a win-win-win project that “electrifies” County residents.