Fujifilm unveils innovative Landfill Gas-to-Energy Project
June 26, 2009
By CHRIS TRAINOR
ctrainor@indexjournal.com
It’s official: Greenwood’s FujiFilm manufacturing facility will now have 40 percent of its operations powered by methane gas captured at the county landfill on Siloam Church Road.
Numerous local elected and government officials, FujiFilm personnel, representatives of Methane Power and many more gathered at the landfill Thursday morning for the formal ribbon cutting for the Landfill Gas-to-Energy Project, which garnered Greenwood County the J.Mitchell Graham Award at the 2007 South Carolina Association of Counties meeting. It was just the fourth time the county had won the award in the last 34 years.
The gas-to-energy system captures methane gas from the landfill and pipes it to FujiFilm, which then uses the gas to fire boilers at the plant. Chandler Construction installed the pipeline from the landfill to the plant.
Greenwood County Councilman Robbie Templeton touted the project.
“We are extremely happy this project worked out,” Templeton said. “The county was facing a deadline imposed by the Environmental Protection Agency to reduce or eliminate methane emissions from the landfill. In the absence of a partner like FujiFilm, the county’s other option was to flare, or burn off, the gas at the landfill. Once again FujiFilm proves itself to be one of our best corporate citizens.”
Meanwhile, FujiFilm USA manufacturing president Shin Kataoka said he was pleased with the completion of the project.
“The completion of this project is a major accomplishment and a step in the right direction for the environment,” Kataoka said. “The landfill gas to energy project goes a long way toward meeting our global target for reducing the amount of greenhouse gasses being released into the atmosphere.”
Methane Power developed the gas collection system for the landfill. Methane Power’s Lewis Gay talked a bit about the system.
“At some point in the future, the county would have been forced to put in this collection system,” Gay said. “According to the EPA requirements, when emissions get to a certain point, you have to collect and destroy the gas. So, rather than the county putting this in, we put this in and made a project out of it. It was a win for the county because they got the collection system and met the regulations without a penny being spent by the county. Also, they will receive royalties for the gas we supply to Fuji.
“Of course, it’s a real win for Fuji in that they are using a renewable resource to replace the natural gas that they were burning in these boilers.”
Victoria Ludwig spoke on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency.
“It is really great to see the efforts of Greenwood County, Methane Power and FujiFilm come to fruition after many years of hard work and cooperation to develop this renewable energy source for the county,” Ludwig said. “It’s the combination of the forward thinking, persistence and tenacity on the part of all parties involved that enable these alternate energy projects to take place.”
