Renewable natural gas project considered for Watford-area landfill

A proposal to convert landfill gas at the Twin Creeks landfill near Watford into renewable natural gas has the potential to produce enough energy each year to heat more than 35,000 Ontario homes, says the site’s owner.

Waste Management is holding a public session Thursday, 4 pm to 7 pm, at the Twin Creeks Site office, 5768 Nauvoo Rd., to provide information on the proposal.

Enbridge also has begun an environmental study process for about 15 to 20 km of new pipeline that would be required to carry the renewable natural gas (RNG) to an existing transfer station.

Enbridge has said if the pipeline and other facilities receive approval, construction could begin in the spring of 2024.

“If the project moves forward and commences full operations, it is expected to help address Ontario’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions target with an estimated reduction of 70,000 tons of CO2 per year (the equivalent of taking 28,000 cars off the road),” Waste Management spokesperson Jessica Kropf said in an email.

She said a site plan and facility overview will be shared with the public at the session.

The company will need three amendments to its provincial operating permit to build and operate the proposed facility, Kropf said.

Biogas is produced as organic waste in the landfill decomposes and is collected.

Currently, some of the gas is used to heat a large greenhouse next to the landfill and any that it can’t be use is flared off, Kropf said.

The company’s proposal would see biogas processed to generate a pipeline-quality biomethane product, or renewable natural gas (RNG), she said.

Building additional facilities needed for the proposal is expected to cost about $50 million and lead to another five to 10 full-time jobs to operate and maintain.

Kropf said Waste Management (WM) is “the leader in beneficial reuse of landfill gas, with a growing network of RNG plans and the most landfill gas-to-electricity plants in North America.”

The company is undertaking a similar renewable natural gas project at the Sainte Sophie landfill in Quebec, she said.

“Building renewable natural gas facilities is aligned with WM’s 2030 priorities to help advanced climate action, expand environmental solutions and support our workforce and communities,” she said.

It also supports the company’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas emission by 42 per cent by 2032, Kropf said.

Todd Case, mayor of Warwick Township where the landfill is located, said following an Enbridge public session on its pipeline plans, held in late 2022, he considered the plan “positive” for the community.

“Any time you can use that methane gas, which is a byproduct of that very large landfill, that’s a good thing. . . instead of flaring it off into the atmosphere,” he said.

The 101.8-hectare landfill sits on a 301-hectare site on Nauvoo Road, just outside of Watford.

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