Gas naturally created from a landfill site near Ringwood is now being recovered and transformed into electricity for the National Grid by waste contractor, Onyx Hampshire Ltd.

As phases of the landfill site at Somerley are completed, work begins to restore the site to green fields. Onyx have installed some 1.5km of pipe and 30 ten metre deep gas wells. These extract landfill gas, a natural by-product of rubbish decomposing beneath the ground, and feed it to a Jenbacher V20 1500hp engine situated on the site.

The engine, which is a containerised unit, burns the gas and generates around one megawatt of electricity. This is then fed into the National Grid providing enough power for 1000 local homes.

Landfill gas has, until recently, been burnt off in a flare system to prevent gas migration rather than being harnessed as a resource.

Says Stefan Jordan, engineering manager for Onyx: "Transforming landfill gas in to electricity is an excellent idea and fits well with our commitment to recycling. The gas is dealt with in an environmentally responsible way and provides electricity which would otherwise come from the use of fossil fuels. It's an all round winner."

The substantial investment costs for the development of the mini power stations and connection to the National Grid are off-set by the government in the NFFO (Non Fossil Fuel Obligation) price paid for the electricity.

With the power generated by an existing plant at the Paulsgrove landfill site near Portsmouth , the total power generation from landfill gas in the county is brought up to four megawatts and the total investment in landfill power plants in Hampshire now totals £3.5 million. A similar plant is already under construction at another Onyx landfill site at Bramshill.

Ends

19 June 2001

Issued by: Julie Fuge, Polymedia 01329 663194