The Upstate’s second trash-powered energy facility is set to begin construction in June in Union County. Pacolet Milliken Enterprises Inc. announced last week that its subsidiary, Lockhart Power, plans to develop a new landfill gas (LFG) facility that will harness and use methane gas from decomposing landfill material to generate electricity.
Lockhart Power Company has formed a wholly owned subsidiary called Lockhart BioEnergy LLC to develop and own the facility, which will power two 1,600-kilowatt generators, enough energy for 2,000 homes. The electricity will flow to the grid, its output initially purchased by Duke Energy.
The renewable energy facility will be located at the Republic Services Inc. Upstate Regional Landfill near Cross Anchor in Union County. Lockhart operates a similar facility in Wellford in partnership with Spartanburg County. In addition to power generation, landfill gas from that site is used in a Milliken & Company plant in Inman.
“Before it was publicly announced, the project was referred to as Project Midas because it turns trash into figurative gold,” said Bryan Stone, chief operating officer of Lockhart Power, in a statement. “We have proven with our Wellford renewable energy project that this type of generation is not only feasible but effective and economical. This project represents the sixth renewable energy facility we have developed or purchased during the last several years, and materially supports our corporate environmental sustainability mission by continuing to allow Lockhart Power to generate more than 99 percent of its power from renewable energy resources.”
As the material in landfills decompose, this process produces methane gas, a greenhouse gas 20 times as potent as carbon dioxide. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, LFG facilities reduce emissions of greenhouse gases that contribute to global climate change and improve local air quality.
“We are pleased to partner with Lockhart Power and Pacolet Milliken to make productive use of the naturally occurring methane produced by the landfill, which is currently flared, or burned,” said Jamey Amick, area president of Republic Services. “Any time a waste material can be harnessed to produce energy, it’s an incredible opportunity.”
Officials said the project will employ about 15 to 20 people during the construction phase, and Lockhart Power will provide permanent staff after that.
