Ameresco, Inc., a leading energy efficiency and renewable energy company, announced that the landfill gas to renewable natural gas facility at Waste Management’s, Woodland Meadows Landfill has achieved EPA approval and is now in operation.

Ameresco designed, built, owns and operates the biogas-to-renewable natural gas (RNG) facility that converts approximately 6,600 SCFM of landfill gas to approximately 3,500 dekatherms of RNG every day. The state-of-the-art facility was commissioned in November 2017.

“The project, one of the largest of its kind in the US, is unique both technically and commercially,” said Michael T. Bakas, Executive Vice President of Ameresco. “We are very proud of the focus and hard work our staff invested to bring this renewable energy project to fruition. Working with Waste Management and GAIN Clean Fuel to develop this facility has been a very rewarding experience. We look forward to a long-term partnership on this flagship project with these two incredible organizations.”

“Waste Management is proud to partner with Ameresco to recover valuable resources and create clean, renewable energy from the landfill,” said John Myers, Director, Operations, Waste Management. “It is gratifying to be involved in using disposed materials and transitioning them into tremendous environmental benefits.”

The renewable natural gas facility operates continuously. Blower stations draw the gas from the raw landfill gas to produce pipeline-quality gas for distribution in the local gas distribution system. Gas is then injected into the natural gas pipeline, where it is eventually utilized in the vehicle fuel market.

GAIN Clean Fuel, in partnership with Ameresco, takes ownership of the RNG upon delivery to the natural gas distribution system and transports it for use within the transportation sector.

“RNG is one of the few alternative fuels that creates air quality improvements during the fuel production process and when used for actual transportation,” said Bryan Nudelbacher, Director of Business Development, GAIN Clean Fuel. “This truly positions companies using renewable natural gas for sustainability success.”

Traditionally, landfill gas is flared onsite, but current technologies allow for the harnessing of this gas and its conversion into a cleaner renewable transportation fuel.