A federal appropriation will help the Kenai Peninsula Borough and Homer Electric Association turn methane into usable fuel.
Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski requested the appropriation, which was signed into law on March 9, and allots $2.74 million for the borough-run landfill to collect methane gas for energy. The project is a collaboration with HEA, the utility that serves much of the peninsula.
According to a press release from Murkowski's office, the money will allow the borough to, "collect methane gas while increasing energy efficiency and analyze the feasibility of the technology in small communities."
HEA General Manager Brad Janorschke spoke about the project at a Kenai Chamber of Commerce presentation back in November.
“The landfill is owned by the borough. All of HEA’s members are also residents of the borough,” he said. “So it's a win-win.”
The borough would collect gas at the Central Peninsula Landfill, just outside of Soldotna, and burn it in an internal combustion generator. The energy would go to HEA, while the heat from the generator would be used to evaporate liquid that collects in the landfill, called leachate. The borough currently uses natural gas to run its leachate evaporator.
According to HEA’s website, the project benefits the utility because of the inexpensive fuel source, and helps the borough save on energy costs too. It would also reduce emissions of methane, a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, from the landfill.
Janorschke said the project was also eye-catching in Washington.
“When we were on the East Coast talking about it, somebody said, “You know, this is such a sexy project, we're gonna get lots of federal funding for it,”’ he said. “We ran the numbers on it, it makes economic sense. One of our goals from a board perspective is to keep the lights on and keep the upward pressure off of rates. This does that.”
The total cost of the project has been estimated at over $12 million. Janorschke said it should be online within two to three years.
