Bannock County will add second methane gas generator to landfill

Bannock County is getting a new addition to its landfill.

Recently, the county commissioners gave final approval for the funding to bring in a second methane gas converter.

The generator at the landfill has one goal: to convert methane gas into usable electricity.

It’s part of an existing contract with Idaho Power. A few years ago, the first generator was put in, with plans to add a second one down the road.

The commissioners just approved $1.5 million from the landfill budget to go toward installing the new one. The infrastructure is already there thanks to the first one, but the second one needs to be put in and installed.

So how does a methane gas generator work?

“When organic mass is brought to the landfill, through the decomposition process, methane gas and other gases will be given off,” said Terrel Tovey, Bannock County Commissioner. “As you bury that, it can actually build up and you can have land fills that can catch fire and explode.”

The landfill has buried wells which pumps out the methane and other dangerous gases.

“We collect that gas, run it through a filter, and basically run it in an burn it in a V-20 engine that produces power that goes to Idaho Power,” further explained Brett Grayson, public works director for the county.

Idaho Power then pays the county based on how much methane is generated into electricity.

Grayson said in its higher power demand months, the county gets more money than months where less electricity used.

“It’s all about demand,” he said.

Right now, the county produces about 1,500 kilowatts per hour. With the second generator, that will double to 3,000 kilowatts per hour. Grayson said when converted into electricity, that would power about 6,000 homes.

Grayson said if it didn’t go through a generator system, the methane gas would have been pumped through to its outside system and would be all be burned, which would send it into the atmosphere.

Tovey said having this generator system is a win, win, win and the second generator is just phase two of a project that started a long time ago to protect the environment and help the county.

“It helps us capture that methane gas, it helps remediate environmental issues, it helps generate revenue for the county to help offset the cost of what it takes to run a landfill and to help make sure we are being environmentally conscious,” Tovey said.

Under the contract with Idaho Power, the second generator must be up and running by Apr. 15, 2019.

Grayson added something else that’s interesting to note is that Bannock County is one of only four counties in the entire state of Idaho that uses a generator system.