The Cape May County Municipal Utilities Authority has launched a landfill gas-to-energy operation at its landfill in Woodbine, N.J.

The facility will generate 2 megawatts of electricity, the authority confirmed by e-mail.

The operation is powered by two 1-megawatt generators, with a third as a backup. The facility will generate enough electricity to power about 2,000 homes.

The $5.5 million system will pay for itself in five years, the authority said, and the generators should operate for at least another 15 years after that.

Electricity will go to an Atlantic City Electric Co. transmission line initially but ultimately will be sold to the PJM (Pennsylvania, Jersey, Maryland) Grid.