 | |  Elk City Station
 
| Location | Bennington, Nebraska | | End User(s) | Omaha Public Power District | | Sector(s) | Utility | | Landfill(s) | Douglas County Recycling and Disposal Facility | | Landfill Size | 7.5 million tons waste-in-place (2001) | | Project Type | Reciprocating Engine (eight Caterpillar 3516 engines) | | Project Size | 6.4 megawatts (MW) | | Savings | Displacement of 19,000 tons of coal per year | | Environmental Benefits | Carbon sequestered annually by 7,200 acres of pine or fir forests, annual greenhouse gas emissions from 5,800 passenger vehicles, or carbon dioxide emissions from 73,900 barrels of oil consumed. Annual energy savings equate to powering 4,100 homes. Estimated emissions reductions of 0.0087 million metric tons of carbon equivalents. | | LMOP Partners Involved | Omaha Public Power District, Waste Management, Inc. |
"Turning Waste into Watts" is Omaha Public Power District’s (OPPD) theme as it brings renewable power to southeast Nebraska. At Waste Management’s Douglas County Recycling and Disposal Facility near Elk City, Nebraska, OPPD burns landfill gas (LFG) 24 hours a day to produce "Green Power" for its customers. Because of tremendous success at Elk City Station, EPA selected OPPD as LMOP’s Energy Partner of the Year in 2002.
Looking to fuel its renewable energy program, OPPD considered several renewable power sources before determining that a LFG energy (LFGE) project was its most cost-effective, renewable energy option. Waste Management designed, built, and operates the LFGE facility, which originally consisted of four generating units and provided an electrical generating capacity of 3.2 MW. Four additional engines were added in 2006 for a total capacity of 6.4 MW.
The project’s highlights include:
- First LFGE project in Nebraska.
- Originally, LFG displaced approximately 19,000 tons of coal per year that normally would have been used to generate electricity.
- At maximum LFG generation, project developers expect to generate 30 MW, enough power for approximately 20,000 homes.
- Extensive marketing and education efforts have increased Green Power participation.
The Elk City Station LFGE joined a 660,000-watt wind turbine in OPPD’s Green Power program. Green power is emerging as a preferred power source in many U.S. energy markets as citizens, companies, and communities seek to purchase energy that is produced from renewable resources. So far, nearly 4,000 OPPD customers have signed up. Last Updated: 8/18/2008
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