SOUTH AFRICA: An innovative project at one of Durban's largest landfill sites captures harmful greenhouse gas and converts it into much needed electricity

Record ID: 260280

  • Title: SOUTH AFRICA: An innovative project at one of Durban's largest landfill sites captures harmful greenhouse gas and converts it into much needed electricity
  • Date: 25th November 2011
  • Summary: DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA (RECENT) (REUTERS) SITE USED TO EXTRACT LANDFILL GAS VARIOUS OF SITE SIGN READING: "LANDFILL - GAS TO ELECTRICITY ETHEKWINI CDM PROJECT- DURBAN SOUTH AFRICA" CHIMNEY ENGINE USED TO EXTRACT LANDFILL GAS VARIOUS OF THE ENGINES SIGN READING: 'JENBACHER GAS ENGINES' SITE ENGINEER JOHN PARKING WALKING ON SITE ENGINEER LOOKING AT THE ENGINES THE EN
  • Embargoed: 10th December 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: South Africa, South Africa
  • Country: South Africa
  • Topics: Nature / Environment,Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA3VZ66M0965VMFNALWO3M8GFWI
  • Story Text: A landmark project that converts gas from household waste into energy is providing Durban, South Africa's third largest city, with much needed electricity.
    The eThekwini Municipality landfill 'Gas-to-Electricity' project has also created employment opportunities for communities nearby.
    The project is owned and operated by the eThekwini Municipality, which includes Durban, and was registered as a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Project. It is the first CDM registered landfill gas project in Africa.
    The project was launched in 2003, with the goal of installing a landfill gas extraction and electricity plant at three of the city's landfills.
    The Bisasar Road Landfill located nearly seven kilometres from the Durban Central Business District is the largest site and the main focus of the Gas-to-electricity project.
    The project extracts landfill gas from dumpsites -- comprising of 40 to 60 percent methane, through gas wells and interlinking pipe work.
    The methane rich gas captured from the site also provides fuel for the engines used in the production of electricity.
    "So the community in this area are aware of the project and know what it's about. The benefits to them, really, is that it's taking the greenhouse gas out of the atmosphere. Also it takes out the odours of the landfill site at the same time. So the landfill site is less odourous than it was," said site engineer John Parkin.
    The gas is captured by sinking wells up to 40 meters deep in the landfill waste sites and through interconnecting pipes linked to an underground main gas collector. It is then extracted via a system which maintains a partial vacuum in the pipes resulting in the gas being sucked out of the landfill.
    The project is funded by the Department of Trade and Industry, the Department of Minerals and energy and the French Development Bank.
    Fourteen new horizontal wells have been laid within the project, which are expected to increase the flow by 70m3 per well. The new design horizontal wells will allow access to gas at a larger level and engineers say it is also a cost effective method.
    Electricity generated at the landfill also helps reduce the amount of Carbon dioxide (CO2) produced in conventional coal fired powered stations.
    "The electricity extracted here is put straight to the local grid. So anybody connected to the local grid in this vicinity will be using that electricity. So the businesses at the bottom will be using the electricity during the day, and at night it will push up to the residential areas and the residents will be using that electricity, because the commercial areas close at 5 o'clock," added John Parking.
    The gas extraction is reducing green house gas emissions and also improves the air quality in the surrounding communities.
    The project engineers say for each 1 Mega Watt generated electricity will be provided to approximately 500 small homes.
    In September 2009, the electricity generated from the Bisasar Road was a total of 7.5 Mega Watts, supplying electricity to approximately 3750 homes.
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