Landfill-gas project expands company’s operations in New England
Through an environmentally friendly project PPL Renewable Energy and the town of Colebrook unveiled Friday (9/4), the methane gas produced by the Colebrook Municipal Landfill will now be used to generate enough electricity to power about 600 local homes.
“Here in New Hampshire we recognize that renewable, clean energy is our nation’s economic future. We can build a stronger economy and create jobs for our families by focusing on building a greener energy market and reducing our reliance on expensive fossil fuels,” said New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch.
“Across New Hampshire we are seeing innovative projects such as this one, which are helping us move toward our goal of greater renewable energy use,” he said. “I applaud the town of Colebrook, PPL Renewable Energy and the New Hampshire Electric Cooperative for their efforts in making this project a reality.”
Landfill gas-to-energy systems have a dual benefit for the environment — they generate electricity from renewable fuel while eliminating emissions of methane, a gas that contributes to global warming. Methane is created when refuse in the landfill decomposes.
“Colebrook welcomes new business opportunities, and this project to produce green, renewable energy is an example of the town’s commitment to developing projects that benefit the environment and encourage economic growth,” said Francois Dumaine, chairman of the Colebrook Select Board. “This project is a win-win because turning a waste product, such as methane gas, into a beneficial resource is not only an economic opportunity, but it is also environmentally the right thing to do.”
The landfill provides methane to power a new 800-kilowatt electricity generator. By avoiding the use of fossil fuels, operating the landfill gas-to-energy plant is equivalent to reducing annual greenhouse gas emissions by 10 million pounds of carbon dioxide.
“Whether at traditional power plants or through the development of alternative sources of energy, PPL is dedicated to providing energy in an environmentally responsible manner,” said Mike Kroboth, president for PPL Renewable Energy. “Our partnership with Colebrook is a continuation of our successful efforts to increase the amount of renewable energy available throughout New England.”
The New Hampshire Electric Cooperative participated in this project by designing and building over three miles of electric line to transmit the renewable energy to the local substation. In addition, the cooperative is purchasing the renewable energy under a long-term agreement with PPL.
“Our partnership with the Town of Colebrook and PPL Renewable Energy is another step in our effort to diversify our power supply, support the growth of renewable energy in New Hampshire and meet our long-term goal of procuring 25 percent of our power supply from a renewable source by 2025,” said Fred Anderson, president and chief executive officer of NHEC.
PPL Renewable Energy develops, owns, operates and maintains renewable and clean energy projects in the mid-Atlantic and northeastern United States, with a portfolio of projects that totals more than 40 megawatts of electricity generation – enough to power 20,000 homes. These include solar panel installations, fuel cells or landfill gas-to-energy projects in Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut and New Jersey. More information is available at www.pplrenewableenergy.com.
PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL), headquartered in Allentown, Pa., controls or owns more than 12,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the United States, sells energy in key U.S. markets and delivers electricity to about 4 million customers in Pennsylvania and the United Kingdom.
Located in Coos County in northern New Hampshire, the town of Colebrook has a population of 2,427 residents and operates a 12-acre inactive municipal landfill, located on Skyline Drive. The town was incorporated in 1796.
The New Hampshire Electric Cooperative is a member-owned and controlled electric distributor serving approximately 80,000 members in 115 towns and cities. The cooperative, headquartered in Plymouth, maintains more than 5,400 miles of energized line that traverse nine of the 10 counties in New Hampshire.