Outagamie County will have a renewable natural gas facility at its Little Chute landfill in 2022, replacing the currently decommissioned combined heat and power plant.Atlanta-based Mas Energy and the county agreed in a Board of Supervisors meeting Dec. 8 to construct a renewable natural gas plant on the Recycling and Solid Waste property at 1919 Holland Rd. The plant will take methane collected from the landfill and convert it into compressed natural gas, which will be fed into a pipeline and distributed to various markets, Recycling and Solid Waste Director Brian Van Straten said.
Mas Energy will pay for the plant’s $25 million construction costs and manage the new facility. “This is a positive development,” Van Straten said. “It continues to enhance our overall mission to provide communities with exceptional materials management and environmentally sound operational practices. Make no mistake, this is where things are heading.”
The plant will also comply with the federal Renewable Fuel Standard. The RFS program requires a certain volume of renewable fuel to replace or reduce the quantity of petroleum-based transportation fuel, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. “This is Outagamie’s way of supporting this federal program. And it’s really important for our environment to capture this gas. Instead of flaring it, we’re turning it into a smart long-term viable renewable fuel.”