Kansas City Power and Light to use methane from St. Joseph landfill to produce electricity

Mar 10, 2010 — The Kansas City Star

Steve Everly

Mar. 10, 2010 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- Kansas City Power and Light, sniffing an opportunity to produce renewable energy, plans to make electricity from the methane gas that comes from decomposing garbage.

The utility and the city of St. Joseph have signed a memorandum of understanding that will have the city providing methane to KCP&L, which will use it to fire a turbine to generate power. That electricity will be sent to the local grid starting early next year and should be sufficient to supply about 1,000 homes.

"It just makes a lot of sense," said Chuck Caisley, a spokesman for KCP&L.

The St. Joseph City Council approved the agreement Monday, although some details need to be decided before a final contract is signed. KCP&L will pay for a building to house a 1.6-megawatt generator.

The St. Joseph Landfill Gas to Energy Project also will include 49 new wells to collect the methane at the landfill, which has 3 million tons of garbage collected from 17 counties. As an environmental measure, the methane is burned off without producing any power, a common practice at landfills.

St. Joseph was eager to make something more out of the gas. Last September it solicited plans for converting the methane into usable energy. It received 10 responses and had discussions with six respondents before choosing the one submitted by KCP&L and Burns and McDonnell, an area engineering firm that will help design and build the project.

J. Bruce Woody, director of public works and transportation for St. Joseph, said KCP&L's plans were the most persuasive because the utility wanted to use all the methane produced at the landfill. St. Joseph expects to use the money it gets from the methane sale to hold down dumping fees at the landfill. The city says those fees are already the lowest in the state.

KCP&L already operates a coal-fired power plant in St. Joseph, which it acquired when it bought Aquila Inc. (NYSE:ILD)

Methane is a colorless gas that comes from decomposing organic matter. The gas, if allowed to seep into the atmosphere, is a far more virulent greenhouse gas than a similar volume of carbon dioxide, which is why it is often burned at landfills.

The idea of using the methane productively has been around for decades, especially with the average American generating 4.5 pounds of garbage per day.

Some landfills burn trash to generate electricity, and about 400 others, according to the Energy Information Administration, have arrangements that use at least some of their methane to produce electricity.

State laws requiring more energy from renewable sources have encouraged the landfill projects. KCP&L said Missouri's renewable fuel standard was a factor in its decision to compete for the St. Joseph project.

Landfills that produce renewable energy also could get a boost if carbon credits are introduced to encourage reductions in greenhouse gases.

KCP&L said it was willing to consider working with other landfills, including in the Kansas City area.

Westar Energy (OTCBB:WREGP) (OTCBB:WREGO) (NYSE:WR) , based in Topeka, began to buy power this year from Waste Management Inc. (NYSE:WM) , which is producing the electricity from methane at its Topeka landfill.

Roger Dick, a spokesman for Burns and McDonnell, said the firm had been working with Columbia officials who are considering whether to use their landfill's methane to produce power.

"It's definitely a trend," he said.

To reach Steve Everly, call 816-234-4455 or send e-mail to severly@kcstar.com.

Newstex ID: KRTB-0102-42736185