Rhode Island, United States [RenewableEnergyWorld.com] Ridgewood Renewable Power, an owner and operator of renewable energy and infrastructure projects, announced that it plans to finance, construct and operate a 41-megawatt (MW) landfill gas-to-energy power plant at the state-run landfill in Johnston, Rhode Island. The facility would be the second largest landfill gas-to-electric power plant in the United States.
The project, which is set to be completed in three construction phases by the end of 2010, will cost approximately US $80 million. Ridgewood has maintained and operated a landfill gas-to-electric power plant at the state landfill since 1996. During the course of the past 12 years, the current facility expanded from 12 MW to 20 MW. These facilities will be decommissioned, razed and eventually buried with trash.
“We are extremely pleased to be making this investment here in Rhode Island,” said Randall Holmes, Ridgewood’s president and CEO. “This facility will be one of the most efficient and clean landfill gas-to-electric systems in the world. The agreement we have reached with the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation accommodates landfill expansion and allows us to develop a state-of-the-art facility that will benefit Rhode Island on multiple levels,” said Randall Holmes, Ridgewood’s president and CEO.
The estimated US $80 million capital expenditure for the project includes the gas gathering system, gas cleansing facility and the power plant. The project will be completed in three separate phases over the next two years. The first phase will involve upgrading the existing gas collection system to optimize the effectiveness of the gas collected. The second phase will focus on the construction of a gas cleansing station and the third phase will be devoted to the construction of the actual power plant.
