Renewable Energy Power Plant Opens At Redwood Landfill In Novato

NOVATO, CA – Officials celebrated the opening today of a landfill gas-to-energy plant in Novato that will provide renewable electricity to customers in four Bay Area counties.

The $14.5 million state-of-the-art renewable energy power plant at the Redwood Landfill at 8950 Redwood Highway uses methane gas produced by Marin County's trash at the landfill to power two reciprocating engines that generate 3.9 megawatts of electricity 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The plant will provide enough renewable energy to serve more than 5,000 customers with MCE, the public electricity provider for Napa and Marin counties, as well as Benicia in Solano County, and El Cerrito, Lafayette, Richmond, San Pablo and Walnut Creek in Contra Costa County.

The landfill gas that previously was flared is turned into electricity during a sophisticated, multi-step scrubbing system that removes carbon dioxide, sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides, ensuring the plant has some of the lowest emissions of any landfill gas-to-electricity plant.

Marin County Supervisors Kathrin Sears and Judy Arnold, Novato Mayor Denise Athas, Redwood Landfill district manager Ramin Khany, Paul Pabor, vice president of Waste Management Renewable Energy and MCE's CEO Dawn Weisz celebrated the new plant at a ribbon-cutting ceremony this morning.

By Bay City News Service

Image via Waste Management