Cape Town to turn on its newest power project – which runs on landfill gas
The City of Cape Town is nearing the production of electricity from its landfill gas project.
The project works through the combustion of landfill gas, which is primarily made up of methane.
Perforated pipes or ‘wells’ are dug into the landfill site to extract the gas. The wells are then connected to the flare compound where it is combusted or diverted to a gas engine to generate electricity. If gas is not used in the engine, it will be flared.
The project has also been designed in such a way that the city can earn ‘carbon credits’. A carbon credit is earned when an entity destroys one ton of greenhouse gas, that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere, and they can be sold as emission offsets under the carbon tax through the Carbon Offset Administration System.
Engines have been delivered to the site, and are currently in the process of being connected to the landfill gas extraction system that has been operational since March 2018. It is expected that the project will generate approximately 2MW that will be added to the city’s grid, and offset some demand from Eskom whose energy prices continue to escalate.
2MW is a small fraction of the city’s total demand which means it is unlikely to provide extra protection from load shedding or enable a reduction in tariffs. It is however an important step forward in the city’s mission to reduce reliance on the state power utility and meet emission reduction targets, the city said.
“The city is currently focused on renewable energy purchases and generation, and other energy efficiency interventions to reduce our dependence on Eskom over time,” said mayoral committee member for energy Beverley Van Reenen.
“We are prioritising energy sector reform and climate change mitigation, which remain of great importance given our country’s energy constraints and the changing energy governance landscape. The city remains committed to all new ways of thinking to ensure that our city is future-fit. Waste-to-Energy is the ultimate form of energy efficiency and we welcome this initiative,” she said.
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