Watford's landfill could soon produce enough energy to heat around 35,000 homes in Ontario.
On Tuesday, Waste Management announced a renewable natural gas (RNG) infrastructure project at Twin Creeks Environmental Centre. The Nauvoo Road facility will convert landfill gas into pipeline-quality gas for the nearby commercial transmission and distribution network.
Landfill Engineer Manager Wayne Jenken is managing the design, the permitting and, ultimately, the construction of the facility. He said they're hoping to begin construction by the end of this year and have the site up and running by 2025.
"We'll start with the things that we don't need permits for -- site preparation, generic things to get the site ready," said Jenken. "And as soon as we can get those permits in hand, we'll be ready with shovels and hopefully be back here for a [groundbreaking ceremony],"
Jenken said once completed and operational, the environmental benefits of this project will be significant.
"The equivalent of 100,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalence, this project is going to be the same as pulling 28,000 vehicles off the road," he said. "We're just super excited about it."
The RNG facility is also estimated to produce up to approximately two million MMBtu of RNG per year.
Jenken said RNG is cost-effective.
"This is a waste product, essentially, so it's something that we currently flare here at the facility, or burn off, to reduce the environmental emissions from it," he said. "So it's a cost-comparable solution to conventional natural gas."
On top of the environmental benefits, Jenken said the project will also benefit the local economy.
"We're happy to bring a lot of jobs to the community here," said Jenken. "This project, once it's permitted and once we're into construction, will generate the equivalent of 75 full-time construction jobs, then once in operation, we're going to start with six operators to operate and maintain the facility and we'll grow to 10 over time here."
Warwick Township Mayor Todd Case was also on hand for Tuesday's announcement. He said it's very positive news for the environment.
"Because any time you can take that methane and stop it from being flared into the atmosphere, creating all of that pollution, and harness that energy and actually turn it into enough energy to satisfy the needs of 35,000 homes, it's a good day," he said.
Case added that there's a shortage of natural gas in the township.
"The ironic part about the announcement today is that they're going to be producing that amount of natural gas but it's actually not going to benefit us here in the municipality, it's actually going to the south of us," said Case. "So my hope is, with the fact that Warwick continues to do their part from an environmental standpoint, I'm hoping that the province is going to approve us for some natural gas expansion in the very near future."
Case said Warwick is waiting for the province to announce the next series of regulations and applications, and that community will be ready to go and make that application when the time comes.
"I really do think that we're going to see an announcement here sooner than later," said Case.
WM Area Vice President Tracy Black said the company has 16 total RNG plants and 17 more in the works -- two are planned for Canada, including the project in Watford.
Waste Management has operated at Twin Creeks Environmental Centre since 1996. The site sees around 5,550 to 6,000 tonnes of garbage per day.