The Anchorage Landfill Gas-to-Energy Project is a partnership between the Municipality of Anchorage Solid Waste Services Department and Doyon Utilities. The project uses landfill gas, a byproduct of waste decomposition in the landfill to produce 7 Megawatts of electricity. The electricity is delivered to the Fort Richardson side of Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson (JBER).

The plant output meets the off-peak power demand for the Fort Richardson side and approximately 25% of the JBER-wide electrical demand. As the largest green energy project in the U.S. Air Force Pacific Theater of Operations, the project far exceeds renewable energy requirements for federal facilities as required by the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

The project currently operates five GE Jenbacher JGS 420 internal combustion engines. The facility is designed to ultimately house 6 units. Prior to this project, the gas was collected and burned in a flare to meet Clean Air Act standards. The landfill is expected to produce commercial quantities of landfill gas for approximately 60 years.

The project won the 2013 Silver Achievement award from the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) for Landfill Utilization Projects.

Power Plant

Engines	Jenbacher JGS 420 Landfill Gas
Plant Design Configuration	Currently 5 units with capacity for 6 units
Engine Configuration	20 cylinder internal combustion
Electrical Power Output	1,400 kilowatts per unit at 12.5 KVA
Fuel Consumption	12.3 MMBTU per hour per unit
Equivalent LFG Consumption	400 CFM at 50% Methane
Fuel Supply	Landfill Gas or Commercial Natural Gas
Emission Controls	LEANOX continuous monitoring system

Landfill Gas Processing

Blower	HSI multi-stage blowers - 2 units
Blower Capacity	2,500 CFM, 30 inches WC vacuum
Delivery Pipeline Pressure	9 PSIG
Gas Pre-treatment	Moisture removal and compression only

Landfill

Capacity	44 million cubic yards
Design Life	62 years (through 2050)
Typical Disposal Rate	1,200 ton per day; 310,000 ton per year
Total Design Footprint	165 acre, 117 currently lined
Gas Collection System	65 wells / collection points
Current Gas Production	2,200 CFM at 50% Methane
Estimated Peak Production	2,800 CFM at 50% Methane
Gas Energy Content	500 BTU/cubic foot at 50% Methane
Anticipated Commercial Gas Life	80 years

The Landfill Gas to Energy Project came on line in 2012. The initial construction cost of the project, including Gas Processing Building, gas transmission pipeline, Power Plant (5 generating units), transformers, switch gear and power line connections to Ft. Richardson grid - $31 million.