Allan Gerlat, News Editor

December 20, 2011

1 Min Read
Waste Management, Will County Open Illinois LFGE Plant

Waste Management Inc. and Illinois’ Will County have opened a landfill gas-to-energy facility in Joliet.

The facility will use landfill gas generated from the county’s Prairie View Recycling and Disposal Facility. Waste Management owns the new energy plant, which covers nearly 7,000 square feet and will generate 4.8 megawatts of power at startup. The facility will increase its power output in future years, officials said in a news release.

The energy from the facility is expected to power nearly 4,000 homes. The county expects revenue of more than $1 million a year. “This revenue stream will grow as the landfill grows, which will benefit the residents of Will County,” said county Executive Larry Walsh.

Waste Management contributed $6 million to develop the project, and the county received a $3.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.

The new facility is equipped with three 20-cylinder, 2,233-horsepower Caterpillar engines, and a fourth will be added next year.

“Our partnership with Will County enables us to recover a renewable source of energy and channel it back to the community in the form of electricity,” said Steve Batchelor, Illinois-Indiana market area vice president.

Walsh added, “We are fortunate to partner with an organization such as Waste Management who is well experienced in the field of alternative energy.”

 

About the Author(s)

Allan Gerlat

News Editor, Waste360

Allan Gerlat joined the Waste360 staff in September 2011 as news editor. He was the editor of Waste & Recycling News for the first 16 years of its history, and under his guidance the publication won 27 national and regional awards.

Before Waste & Recycling News, Allan worked at another Crain Communications publication, Rubber & Plastics News, which covers rubber product manufacturing. He began with the publication as associate editor and eventually became managing editor, a position he held for nine years.

Allan is a graduate of Ohio University, where he earned a BS in journalism. He is based in Sagamore Hills, in northeast Ohio.

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