Company:

OC Waste & Recylcling

Status:

Awarded

Awarded:

Energy Project of the Year

Additional Files

Additional Information

Waste to Energy - Bowerman Power Project

Project Location:

Frank Bowerman Landfill
Irvine, CA

Project Description:

Bowerman Power Project – A state-of-the-art landfill gas-to-energy facility located at the Frank R. Bowerman Landfill in Irvine, delivering 20 megawatts of renewable electricity to the City of Anaheim.  This project, developed by Montauk Energy, designed and built by HRGreen, and hosted by the County of Orange, will serve the equivalent of 23,000 average southern California homes while offsetting 86, 000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year.

Project Justification:

This project is among the top ten landfill gas-to-energy projects in the U.S.  The project was constructed while continuing operations at the ninth largest landfill in the U.S.  The air emissions control technology meets the strict requirements of the South Coast Air Quality Management District using internal combustion engines.  An innovation approach was used to modify the existing flare station for destroying the offgasses from media regeneration.  Close attention to sound attenuation was required due to the close proximity of residential neighborhoods.  Condensate generated from raw landfill gas moisture removal is treated and used for site dust control, offsetting utility water use.  The facility requires no process water for operations.

Special Circumstances:

The project involved collaboration between Montauk Energy, Anaheim Public Utilities, Caterpillar Inc., the City of Irvine and the County of Orange. Montauk Energy developed the project, Anaheim Public Utilities is purchasing the power generated under a 20 year agreement, Caterpillar is financing the project and providing the engine-generators, Irvine is the host city and OC Waste & Recycling is hosting the Bowerman Power facility and providing the fuel for power generation. Due to the composition of landfill gas and strict air emission regulations, sophisticated gas cleanup and emissions control equipment are required, adding to the capital cost.  The electricity product price dropped during project development, which resulted in a change in technology to lower capital costs in order to remain economically viable.  The two mile electrical interconnect was constructed along the entrance road while trash hauling continued.

Project Attachments:

Located at the Frank R. Bowerman Landfill in the foothills northeast of Irvine, the Bowerman Power Project is a state-of-the-art landfill gas-to-energy facility ranked among the top ten landfill gas-to-energy projects in the U.S.  The plant delivers 20 megawatts of renewable electricity to the City of Anaheim under a 20 year power purchase agreement, generating 160,000 megawatt-hours annually or the equivalent of serving 23,000 average southern California homes while offsetting 86,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year.
The project, developed by Bowerman Power, a subsidiary of Montauk Energy in Pittsburgh and hosted by the County of Orange, completed construction while continuing operations at the ninth largest landfill in the U.S.  HRGreen of St. Paul, Minnesota was the design/build contractor.  In a unique arrangement, Caterpillar provided both the engine-generators and $60 million in project financing, creating 60 construction jobs and 7 full-time employees for plant operations.
Landfill gas is composed of a mixture of hundreds of different gases produced by the decomposition of solid waste.  By volume, the landfill gas at this landfill typically contains 52 percent methane.  The balance is primarily carbon dioxide with small amounts of nitrogen, oxygen, ammonia, sulfides, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and non-methane organic compounds (NMOCs) such as trichloroethylene, benzene, and vinyl chloride.  Approximately 11,000 standard cubic feet per minute of this raw landfill gas, previously flared, is processed using an advanced gas clean-up system to fuel seven internal combustion engine-generators with air emissions technology to meet the strict requirements of the South Coast Air Quality Management District.  An innovative approach was used to modify the existing flare station for destroying the offgasses from gas cleanup media regeneration.  Moisture removed during processing is treated and used for site dust control, reducing utility water use. 
Working at an active landfill with nearby residents created some challenges.  A new two mile electrical service was installed on the service road to interconnect the new facility to the Southern California Edison substation while continuing 20 ton waste hauling truck traffic.  Nearby residential neighborhoods required special attention to noise attenuation.
This project is the county’s third landfill gas-to-energy facility.  The other two are located at the Olinda Alpha (Brea) and Prima Deshecha (San Juan Capistrano) landfills.  The three facilities, in total, produce approximately 380,000 megawatt-hours of electricity annually, enough to power some 56,000 homes in Southern California.
In exchange for hosting the facility and providing the landfill gas rights, the County of Orange is expected to generate $32 million in royalties and $1 million in annual operation and maintenance costs subsidizes during the initial 20 year period. 

Award Citation::

Bowerman Power Project – A state-of-the-art landfill gas-to-energy facility located at the Frank R. Bowerman Landfill in Irvine, delivering 20 megawatts of renewable electricity to the City of Anaheim.  This project, developed by Montauk Energy, designed and built by HRGreen, and hosted by the County of Orange, will serve the equivalent of 23,000 average southern California homes while offsetting 86, 000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year.

Suggested Award Summary:

Located at the Frank R. Bowerman Landfill in the foothills northeast of Irvine, the Bowerman Power Project is a state-of-the-art landfill gas-to-energy facility ranked among the top ten landfill gas-to-energy projects in the U.S.  The plant delivers 20 megawatts of renewable electricity to the City of Anaheim under a 20 year power purchase agreement, generating 160,000 megawatt-hours annually or the equivalent of serving 23,000 average southern California homes while offsetting 86,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year.