DTE Biomass Energy has begun operating a 3.2-megawatt landfill gas-to-energy facility in Kimball Township, Mich.

The energy will come from St. Clair County’s Smith's Creek Landfill, which operates one of the first commercial-scale septage injection landfill gas systems in the United States. In the system the material is extracted from septic tanks and applied to the landfill to speed the decomposition of organic waste. This process increases the life of the landfill and advances the rate of landfill gas generation for electricity production, Ann Arbor, Mich.-based DTE said in a news release.

The electricity is produced at a facility operated by DTE subsidiary Blue Water Renewables Inc. The facility will produce electricity to power about 3,000 homes. The project created about 75 construction jobs.

"This project is an excellent example of how we have been able to convert harmful greenhouse gases into renewable energy," said DTE President Mark Cousino.

DTE has built and operates more than 25 landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States.