Mar 15, 2002
PPL Methane-to-Electricity Project at Northern Tier Landfill Now Operational
PRNewswire-FirstCall
ALLENTOWN, Pa.
PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL) subsidiary PPL Energy Services announced during a ribbon-cutting ceremony today (3/15) that the Northern Tier Solid Waste Authority will begin commercial operation of an 800-kilowatt methane-to-electricity power generation system at its Northern Tier Landfill in Bradford County, Pa.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19981015/PHTH025 )
The landfill in West Burlington Township will use the 600,000 cubic feet of methane gas flared off every day at the 128-acre facility to power a Caterpillar generator. That will allow the landfill to sell electricity on the open market and use the heat from the generator to help decompose organic waste -- both economical and environmentally conscious uses of the free fuel.
"We're excited to see the power generation system at the Northern Tier Landfill will begin commercial operation," said PPL Energy Services President Mike Kroboth. "The GenSelect(SM) program offered by our distributed generation group offers the unbeatable combination of providing economical solutions and reliability for our customers in an environmentally friendly manner."
Kroboth said the project, with a generator provided by Cleveland Brothers Equipment Co., was managed by PPL affiliate H.T. Lyons Inc., the Lehigh Valley's largest mechanical contracting and energy services firm.
"With the installation of this system, we are able to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the impact those emissions have on the environment," Kroboth said. "Because of this innovative and responsible process, the methane that was once flared now becomes a valuable source of energy."
More commonly called landfill gas, methane is produced when organic landfill waste decays. It is odorless and abundant. When recovered as an energy source, it helps reduce air pollution.
In the past, landfills burned excess methane to reduce potentially hazardous build-ups of the gas. But it can be collected by first drilling wells into the landfill. The gas, extracted from the wells using fans or blowers, is then fed into a series of pipes that deliver the gas to a central point for use in electricity generation.
PPL representatives joined members of the Northern Tier Solid Waste Authority, which operates the double-lined sanitary landfill, and Cleveland Brothers Equipment Co., a distributor of Caterpillar equipment and engines in central Pennsylvania.
PPL Energy Services is the energy services unit of PPL EnergyPlus, which in turn is a subsidiary of PPL Corporation. Headquartered in Allentown, Pa., PPL Corporation controls or owns more than 10,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the United States, markets energy in select U.S. states and Canada, and delivers electricity to nearly 6 million customers in Pennsylvania, the United Kingdom and Latin America.
PPL EnergyPlus LLC is an unregulated subsidiary of PPL Corporation. PPL EnergyPlus is not the same company as PPL Electric Utilities or PPL Gas Utilities. The prices of PPL EnergyPlus are not regulated by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. You do not have to buy PPL EnergyPlus electricity, natural gas or other products in order to receive the same quality regulated services from PPL Electric Utilities or PPL Gas Utilities.
NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19981015/PHTH025
PRN Photo Desk, 888-776-6555 or 212-782-2840
SOURCE: PPL Corporation
Contact: Jim Santanasto, +1-610-774-5997, or Steve Gabrielle,
+1-610-774-7095, or fax: +1-610-774-5281, both of PPL
Website: http://www.pplweb.com/
Quick links.