Ameresco to Lead RNG Facility Build at Wasatch Integrated Waste Management District’s Davis Landfill

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. & LAYTON, Utah --Ameresco, Inc., (NYSE: AMRC), a leading cleantech integrator specializing in energy efficiency and renewable energy, today announced it has been selected by Wasatch Integrated Waste Management District (WIWMD) to design, build, own, and operate a landfill gas to renewable natural gas (RNG) plant at the Davis Landfill in Layton, UT. This project would be Ameresco’s second landfill gas beneficial use arrangement with the district and represents both organizations’ continued commitment to sustainable waste management solutions for the past twenty years.

The Davis RNG facility will capture naturally occurring landfill gas, primarily composed of methane, resulting from the decomposition of organic waste and transform it into renewable energy resource. The green energy expected to be produced by the plant would reduce over 953 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions annually. This annual CO2 reduction is the equivalent to the carbon sequestered by removing 79,223 cars from the road or planting over 98,000 acres (about more than half the size of Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks combined) of forests.

As the owner of the complex processing facility, Ameresco will be responsible for all aspects including design, engineering, construction, commissioning, and operations. Upon completion, Davis RNG is expected to replace the use of over 8 million BTUs annually of fossil fuels, such as coal and natural gas.

"Leveraging waste byproducts to displace the use of fossil fuel is a critical part of our nation's clean and renewable energy transition,” said Michael Bakas, Executive Vice President of Ameresco. “Reducing the introduction of new emission sources from the combustion of fossil fuel makes comprehensive landfill decarbonization solutions more urgent than ever. By transforming landfill gas into renewable natural gas (RNG), we're taking a significant step toward creating a cleaner planet. This approach makes sense—why drill for natural gas that is sequestered deep in the earth when we can harness what's already in our atmosphere?”

“This is the type of win-win project that is exciting to be involved with,” said Nathan Rich, Executive Director of WIWMD. “Turning an environmental liability into a renewable energy source is a great way to meet the mission of the district. After commissioning the first landfill gas to energy project in Utah almost 20 years ago, we are looking forward to updating the project to a modern RNG plant to supply the current energy market.”

As Wasatch enters the next phase of landfill gas to energy projects, it will continue working with Ameresco to develop a Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) plant, creating a renewable resource to be delivered to and used by homes and businesses around the region for the next quarter of a century. It is one more example of Wasatch’s objective to view waste as a resource and its continued efforts to create sustainable opportunities within its community. Wasatch looks forward to the future, partnering with Ameresco in developing new ways to utilize waste as a resource.