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Greenstar to develop €4m landfill gas-to-energy system in Galway
Greenstar, Ireland's leading waste management company, announced today (Wednesday 17th April) that it has applied for planning permission to develop a gas-to-energy system at its residual landfill facility in Kilconnell, Co. Galway. The system will capture gas from the landfill and will use it to produce sustainable green electricity. Greenstar has already applied to the ESB for permission to connect the proposed system to the national grid.
The gas-to-energy system will produce enough green energy to meet the electricity requirements of up to 9,000 households or the equivalent population of the towns of Ballinasloe, Loughrea and Cliften combined. The 4.2 MW system will produce electricity for input into the national grid and will be developed at an investment of up to €4million.
Colin Ryder, Greenstar's operations manager in Galway, commented on the development "This gas-to-energy system is a progressive step in the direction of sustainable energy and is an exciting development for the east Galway region.
Harnessing landfill gas for energy generation has multiple benefits. With oil prices at a record high, landfill gas-to-energy avoids the need to use non-renewable resources such as coal, oil or natural gas. Also, by preventing emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas, landfill gas to energy projects contribute to an environmentally sustainable future".
The proposed gas-to-energy system in Kilconnell will use the same state-of-the art gas utilisation technology identical to that already in operation at one of its other landfill sites, KTK Landfill, Co Kildare. For the last three years, the electricity generated at KTK landfill, has been critical to the local supply of electricity in the fast growing town of Newbridge so much so that the ESB require notification should the engines be out of production for an extended period during times of maintenance.
Greenstar has recently installed a new gas capture and enclosed gas flare system at the Kilconnell Landfill facility. This system is designed to ensure effective odour management and when combined with direct drive electricity generators will form the basis for the gas-to-energy system. This system was built specially for Greenstar by German environmental engineering company Haase Energietechnik who have also supplied enclosed flare technology to other Greenstar Landfills.
In recent months Greenstar has spent over €500,000 on the installation of gas and odour management infrastructure at the landfill site.
"This new gas collection and flaring system is already assisting odour management at the site. Should we be successful in our planning permission application for the gas-to-energy system it will play an integral role in our long-term gas management plans at the site." said manager Colin Ryder.
Landfill gas is extracted using a series of wells and a blower/flare system. This system directs the collected gas to a central point where it can be processed and treated depending upon the ultimate use for the gas. From this point the gas can simply be flared or used to generate electricity.
For further information on the proposed system, please contact Colin Ryder, Operations Manager on 0909-686014. Alternatively please check out the link to RTE's website for a similar piece on the technology at Greenstar's KTK landfill at http://www.rte.ie/business/2005/0928/greenstar.html
For further information, please contact:
Carol-Anne Hernon, Marketing Executive.
Tel: +353-1-2947962
or Sarah Ryan, Drury Communications
Tel: 01-2605000
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