The Falls Township Board of Supervisors approved a plan from Waste Management to construct two renewable natural gas plants.
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The supervisors on Monday evening approved preliminary and final land development approval for the site across from the Wheelabrator Falls waste-to-energy facility on New Ford Mill Road near Waste Management’s landfills. The Falls Township Planning Commission approved the plans in August.
The plants will be inside Waste Management’s 47-acre Fairless Landfill complex. Two plants that will be 20,000 square feet each will be built on an area of 18 acres.
Attorney Mike Meginniss, who is working on behalf of Waste Management, said the plants will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 170,000 tons annually.
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“We hope this will be operational by 2024,” he said.
Dave Allen, the engineer for the project, noted Waste Management’s $90 million investment and said it would be good for the environment.
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The two plants will pipe the gases produced as garbage decomposes beneath landfills to the machinery used to convert it to “pipeline quality” natural gas. The two facilities will transform the gathered gases into renewable natural gas for the production of energy, Waste Management officials said.
The renewable natural gas created at the Falls Township plants will be routed to a national pipeline and distributed, Allen said.
The plants will be the company’s sixth renewable natural gas facility once it is up and running. There are currently five other gas-to-energy facilities run by Waste Management, officials said.
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Waste Management has undertaken projects across its landfills to convert landfill gases to natural gas, which it can sell.
According to Waste Management Project Manager Eric Oehling, the plant will operate for “the life of the landfill, plus 20 or 30 years.”
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Methane makes up roughly half of landfill gas, according to Oehling. He stated that after the treatment methane would reach a concentration of 98 or 99 percent methane.
“We want to capture all the methane for the plant,” Oehling said. “Methane is money to us at this point.”
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Exelon Generation ran the Pennsbury Generating Station, which used landfill gas to provide power. Exelon Generation stated that facility was shut down because of “prolonged period of flat electricity demand and historically low electricity costs” in 2018.
Waste Management constructed large flares to burn off the landfill gas emissions after the Pennsbury Generating Station closed. The flares alarmed some due to potential harmful effects on the environment and air quality.
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Supervisor John Palmer asked about a potential smell from the new plants, but Oehling said there won’t be any noticeable smells and the plants will have “stronger odor control.”
The construction of the plants are expected by Waste Management to create 40 to 50 jobs. Once complete, the plants will employ eight to 10 people.
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