Food Waste-to-Energy Facility Opens in Oregon

A private-public partnership has established what it calls the Pacific Northwest’s first commercial food waste-to-electricity plant, in Junction City, Ore.

The $16 million biogas project, known as JC-Biomethane, is supported by the Salem-based Oregon Department of Energy, which provided technical assistance and $1.7 million of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding, and the Portland-based Energy Trust of Oregon, which provided $2 million in cash incentives, according to a news release.

The facility will convert commercial food waste and other biomass products into renewable electrical and thermal energy, generate liquid and fiber nutrients, and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The facility was designed and will be managed by Eugene, Ore.-based Essential Consulting of Oregon LLC.