A consortium led by biogas expert ENER-G is investing £11 million in five landfill gas generation plants in Johannesburg. This is the largest landfill gas-to-power project to be developed in the country. The project is the first and only landfill gas generation project to come from South Africa’s REIPPP.
ENER-G Systems is the majority shareholder in the renewable energy project, alongside state-owned Central Energy Fund (SOE) Ltd, and Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) company Secure Rock Enterprises. The ENER-G Community Educational Trust will ensure that local communities have a 2.5% economic interest in the five facilities.
The landfill sites are owned by the City Council of Johannesburg, which has been a key partner throughout the project’s development process. It will share in the revenue generated from a 20-year power sale agreement with Eskom, which will sell the power into the distribution network.
The five facilities will produce a total of 13 MW of renewable energy. Development will take three years to roll-out across the five sites.
David Cornish, General Manager of ENER-G Systems, said: "In a country that is dominated by coal-based power plants and where there are problems with power resilience, we are proud to work with our local partners to develop much needed renewable power supplies and contribute to greenhouse gas reduction. The five landfill gas generation facilities will also create much needed jobs, while benefiting the local municipality through revenue sharing, and aiding local communities through the ENER-G Community Educational Trust."