Winnebago County Board gives OK for landfill waste-to-energy project
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Winnebago County Board members voted unanimously Thursday night to approve zoning for a proposed waste-to-energy facility inside the Winnebago Landfill.
Air Liquide Advanced Technologies, an international industrial gas company, plans to build and operate the biogas and renewable natural gas facility within the existing landfill footprint’s east end. The plant doesn’t produce any emissions that affect air quality, according to the company’s proposal.
Winnebago County Board members have said the plant is more environmentally friendly because it captures the landfill gas created when organic material decomposes and processes it into natural gas transported through Nicor’s pipelines. That’s better for air quality than the current practice of burning the gas off in a flare, Board Chairman Joe Chiarelli said.
Background: ‘A huge win for our county’: Winnebago Landfill plans waste-to-energy natural gas plant
About 4-6 people would work at the plant on any given day. It’s unclear how many jobs will be created by the construction.
The plant will include a gas-processing center, a motor control center for the electrical equipment and an office building for plant personnel.
The company hopes to bring the facility online sometime in 2023, pending approval of other environmental permits.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas.
