Wastech opens gas capture plant

Wastech, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Belkorp Environmental Services, has officially opened its Landfill Gas Utilization Plant at the Cache Creek Landfill in British Columbia, Canada.

The plant will generate electricity at a rate of 4.8MW – enough to power more than 2,500 homes. The project uses technology to trap gas that is naturally generated from the landfilling process, and transform it into a source of renewable power.

'By utilising the gas that is naturally generated, this investment adds a new dimension to the waste management practices at the Cache Creek Landfill. Wastech and the Cache Creek Landfill are vital parts of BC's waste management infrastructure. Thanks in part to our partnership with Metro Vancouver and BC Hydro, we are pleased to extend that role by generating renewable energy from landfill gas – enough to power more than 2,500 homes,' says Stuart Belkin, chairman and CEO of Belkorp Industries.

In anticipation of new provincial gas collection regulations coming into effect in 2016, Wastech pre-emptively met its gas capture targets at the Cache Creek facility years ahead of schedule, capturing even more methane than the regulations will mandate.

The Cache Creek Landfill has served as a key disposal destination for Metro Vancouver's solid waste over the past 26 years. Wastech has entered into an initial 20-year contract to provide all electricity generated from the project to BC Hydro under the Standing Offer Program.

Construction of the Landfill Gas Utilization Project began in the summer of 2014, with commercial operations beginning in March 2015. The majority of the technology for the project was sourced from partners in BC, including the main generating equipment, which was purchased from Finning, headquartered in Vancouver. The project was funded by Wastech.