DCC Cuts Power Bill In Time For Winter

The generation of power from methane gas at the Green Island Waste Water Treatment Plant is expected to reduce the DCC’s power bill by approximately $350,000 per year.

The generator is situated at the Green Island Wastewater Treatment Plant to offset the Plant’s power consumption and to enable easy export of any excess power to the national grid. The gas is transported from the landfill to the generator via a 500m long pipe.

The generator was built to put methane gas collected from the landfill and that produced by the waste water treatment digesters to practical use. This gas has been burned via flares at the landfill and the plant for the last three years.

The generator can produce up to 625 kiloWatts of electricity 24 hours a day and is already producing about 380kW. As more gas wells come online in the spring, the plant is expected to generate about 600kW.

The generator can run unattended, although staff monitor it during the day and conduct routine checks to ensure optimal performance.