Danville, Ind., U.S.A. — Waste Management of Indiana, Wabash Valley Power Association and Hendricks Power Cooperative Wednesday dedicated a renewable energy generation facility that uses gas from landfill waste to generate electricity.

The celebration marks the completion of the fourth landfill gas-to-energy plant at the Twin Bridges Recycling and Disposal Facility. With the addition of the 3.2 megawatts of power from Twin Bridges IV, the site now generates the equivalent amount of electricity to power approximately 14,000 homes.

Twin Bridges IV represents Wabash Valley Power’s 14th landfill gas-to-energy facility, each of which is located throughout the northern half of Indiana on landfills owned by Waste Management. Through an exclusive partnership, Wabash Valley Power owns the power plants, while Waste Management of Indiana supplies the landfill gas and serves as the plant operator.

“In 2007, our Board of Directors set a goal to increase our ownership of diverse fuel resources,” explained Greg Wagoner, Vice President of Business Development, Wabash Valley Power. ”Yet while we want to be proactive in our pursuit of that goal, we remain committed to the delivery of affordable, reliable power to our member cooperatives. Our partnership with Waste Management of Indiana is instrumental in this process.”

Fuel for the Twin Bridges landfill gas-to-energy facility is derived from wastes buried in the landfill, which generate methane gas. A network of recovery wells and pipes control and collect the methane and convey it to an on-site power plant. There the gas is condensed, purified and used as fuel to drive engines that, in turn, drive electricity generators.

The engines used in this process are manufactured by Caterpillar, Inc. at its Lafayette (Ind.) Engine Center. At Twin Bridges IV, two 20-cylinder engines burn landfill gas (methane), each of which generates 1.6 megawatts of electricity. The facility is designed to be scalable, with the ability to grow to four engines as the landfill’s gas generation increases in future years.

“Our goal is to operate our landfill facilities in a way that meets the highest environmental standards,” said Brad Eisenhart, Senior District Manager for Waste Management of Indiana. ”The Twin Bridges landfill and gas-to-energy facilities do that and more by managing waste gases and channeling them to generate energy. This benefits the community in way that makes our people and company very proud.”

Waste Management has established as one of its sustainability goals doubling its waste-based energy production by the year 2020, he said.  Achieving this goal would mean its facilities across North America generate power to serve more than 2 million homes.

As part of a major expansion in 1993, Waste Management committed to make Twin Bridges an environmental and a recreational asset for the Danville community. The facility includes 975 acres with 237 acres permitted for solid waste disposal. Waste Management developed the facility to serve as an important local recreational area offering the community soccer and girls softball fields, an 18-hole golf course, a trap and skeet range, an archery range and other outdoor amenities. Twin Bridges received certifications by the Wildlife Habitat Council as a Corporate Lands for Learning and Wildlife at Work facility.

Waste Management and Wabash Valley Power partner on 14 landfill gas-to-energy facilities in Cass, Elkhart, Hendricks, Jay, Lake, La Porte, St. Joseph, and White counties.

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