East Kentucky Power Cooperative (EKPC), Winchester, Kentucky is expanding its landfill gas-to- electric plant at the landfill operated by Bavarian Waste in Boone County, Kentucky.

The plant, which has four existing generators, is getting an additional generating unit. Each of the units are fueled by methane gas collected from within the landfill.

“Even with EKPC’s existing plant, the landfill had excess methane gas,” says Bill Kennedy, EKPC’s landfill gas manager. “EKPC and Bavarian Landfill have had a good relationship since 2003, when the original plant began operating, so this just made sense.”

“Bavarian was the first landfill in Kentucky to collect the methane gas the landfill produces,” says Jim Brueggemann, president of Bavarian Trucking Co. Inc., parent company of Bavarian Waste. “We’ve been working toward this expansion for a while and are excited that the last pieces are finally coming together.”

EKPC is expanding the plant’s building to accommodate the new electric-generating unit. Once the expansion is complete in late August 2016, the plant will have the capacity to produce up to 4.6 megawatts of electricity, which EKPC says is enough “to power approximately 2,500 typical Kentucky homes.” The expansion project is expected to cost about $2.9 million.

“EKPC’s fleet of landfill gas generators has proven to be a reliable, affordable source of electricity for the more than 1 million Kentucky residents who are served by our 16 owner-member electric cooperatives,” says Don Mosier, chief operating officer of EKPC.

The generating plant is located adjacent to the Bavarian Landfill, which collects and pipes the methane gas to the plant. EKPC purchases the gas from Bavarian. It is one of six such plants owned and operated by EKPC in Kentucky. Others are located at landfills in Barren, Greenup, Hardin, Laurel and Pendleton counties. Together, the plants produce enough electricity to power almost 8,000 typical Kentucky homes, says EKPC.