Flathead Electric acquires second methane-burning generator for county landfill

Flathead Electric Cooperative (FEC) announced Jan. 9 the purchase of a second methane-burning generator to be installed at the Flathead County landfill.

The Co-op installed its first generator at the dump site in 2009. Operating at roughly 90 percent of its 1.6 megawatt capacity, it typically generates enough electricity to power about 1,400 homes in the Flathead Valley, said utility spokesperson Courtney Stone.

The new engine will double potential capacity and add redundancy.

While FEC gets most of its electricity from Bonneville Power Administration hydropower, Stone is excited that the utility will be able to generate more energy, adding diversity and reliability to a system that serves around 57,000 members, according to a statement.

The FEC, which purchased the second engine with pre-appropriated ratepayer funds, saw the opportunity to expand in part because increases in waste in recent years have led to excess methane production at the landfill.

“In the last 10 years, the amount of trash sent to the landfill increased by over 3,000 tons a year,” said Dave Prunty, Flathead Public Works Director, in a statement. “We don’t project a slowdown in garbage, so the time seemed right to partner back up with the Co-op and expand the gas-to-energy project.”

Stone said that the project would not lead to any rate hikes for FEC members.

Methane is naturally produced in landfills when biomass breaks down. The landfill has installed a system of pipes that captures and filters the methane for use as fuel, which then powers the 20-cylinder Caterpillar engines.

Initial gas projections show enough methane fuel to power both engines at around 75% capacity at initial startup, according to the statement.

Methane, a greenhouse gas, is 21 times more potent at capturing heat than carbon dioxide, according to the statement. Landfills are required by federal law to capture certain amounts to prevent emissions. Burning the gas emits carbon dioxide and water, which are seen as environmentally preferable byproducts when compared with releasing methane directly.

Most landfills burn the methane to fulfill their legal obligations, and in Montana only the Flathead landfill has installed a system to generate electricity, according to EPA documents.

The new engine is under construction and the original engine is getting overhauled in Boise, meaning that for the moment, the landfill must “flare,” or burn, the methane. The original engine is scheduled to return from Idaho next week, and the utility hopes to install the new one by May.

Reporter Adrian Knowler can be reached at 758-4407 or aknowler@dailyinterlake.com.