January / February 2009 - Nebraska Public Power District

8 ENERGY INSIGHT • jaNuaRY / fEbRuaRY 2009
ENERGY INSIGHT • jaNuaRY / fEbRuaRY 2009 9
Butler County
methane project turns
trash into energy
If “one man’s trash is another
man’s treasure,” then that adage
rings true for the 64-acre Butler
County Landfill near David City.
MINING
Timberline Energy of Denver, Colo.,
constructed and is operating a methane
recovery and processing project at the landfill.
Methane gas – produced from decomposing garbage
– is sent through a buried pipeline to Henningsen
Foods, an egg-processing plant in David City. The
clean methane provides a renewable and sustainable
fuel source, displacing natural gas to the plant’s main
steam boiler.
While carbon dioxide is the main gas responsible
for global warming, methane is also a contributor. The
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that
landfills account for 25 percent of all methane releases
linked to human activity.
“Given that all landfills generate gas, it makes
sense to use this gas for the beneficial purpose of
energy generation rather than emitting it into the
atmosphere,” said Jay Hopper with Timberline
Energy.
Henningsen Foods is pleased with the results it is
seeing from using methane gas. “Not only is methane
a renewable fuel source, it is also more cost-effective
than natural gas,” said Darrell Kahler, assistant plant
manager. “We’ve seen several thousand dollars of
savings each month since we began taking advantage
of methane. It’s a win-win situation for our plant and
the environment.”
Timberline built a facility near the landfill to house a
compressor and small office. There, Facility Manager
Ryan Nelson spends his days. On a normal day,
Nelson does routine preventive maintenance. Because
the compressor runs 24 hours a day, when Nelson
is not in the office, he is on call. The plant has a
sophisticated electronic system which monitors every
aspect of its operation and actually calls Nelson’s cell
phone to report any concerns.
Butler Public Power District built a new electric
service line—about 1/8 of a mile—to power the
compressor building. Timberline reimbursed the
power district for the line construction. “From the
time we were approached by Timberline, the planning
and construction for the line took about a year,”
explained Mike Hiatt, operations manager at the
utility. “The line was up by October, 2008.”
The compressor pumps methane from a system
of 16 wells that were drilled into the oldest part of
the landfill. The wells are 30 to 90 feet deep. The
compressor takes the moisture and other particles out
of the gas. Then, the gas travels through a six-inch
line approximately six miles to the Henningsen Food
plant. The system has an estimated lifespan of 40
years.
The city of David City provides electric service to
Henningsen Foods. The methane-mining operation
currently provides more fuel than Henningsen can use;
The compressor at right pumps methane from a system of 16 wells at the
David City Landfill. Below from L to R: Grey Tilden, Timberline president; Jay
Hopper, Timberline CEO; Gov. Dave Heineman; Willow Holoubek, Butler
County Development; Mary Plettner, NPPD; Dana Trowbridge, David City
mayor; Joe Johnson, David City city administrator; Kelly Danielson, Butler
County Landfill/Waste Connections, Inc.; Darrell Kahler, Henningsen Foods.
however, City Administrator Joe Johnson reported that
David City is looking for ways to use the excess fuel.
“Because the city owns the pipeline and leases
it back to Timberline Energy, others could benefit
from the pipeline as well,” explained Johnson. “The
availability of methane in the area is attractive to
economic development prospects. We hope to help
David City grow with this alternative energy option.”
A ribbon-cutting was held for the Timberline facility
in November. Gov. Dave Heineman joined local
officials to mark the occasion. Heineman said at the
ceremony that Nebraska is one of the states committed
to the 25-by-25 goal of getting 25 percent of its
energy from renewable resources by the year 2025.
“And here you are doing your part,” he said.
Both the city of David City and Butler Public Power
District are NPPD wholesale customers.