Santa Marta landfill gas capture in Chile
Context
The Santiago Metropolitan region of Chile encompasses Chile’s capital, Santiago, along with parts of the Andes Mountains and the Chilean Coastal range. Approximately 8 million tonnes of municipal solid waste (MSW) are generated in Chile each year, showing an increasing trend – particularly within the Santiago region. More than 95% of the waste generated by households is disposed of in landfills.
Landfills generate methane gas as organic waste decomposes. Methane is a greenhouse gas that is around 34 times more potent than carbon dioxide. When released into the atmosphere, it has a significant impact on warming.
Project
The Santa Marta Landfill Gas (LFG) Capture for Electricity Generation Project is a landfill gas to energy project which involves the collection and utilisation of landfill gas for the generation of electricity.
The Santa Marta landfill is an existing and operational landfill site located 17km south of Santiago city. It is one of the most important landfills in the region, serving a population of around 1,200,000 inhabitants within the southern communes of Santiago. Spanning 700 acres, it receives 1.3 million tonnes of waste each year.
This project will collect the methane gas that is produced from the waste in the Santa Marta landfill, and implement the infrastructure needed to convert this gas into clean electricity. This electricity will then be exported to the grid. The project will be implemented in phases, aiming to achieve a total installed capacity of 28 MW by 2023.
The implementation of this project will both prevent environmentally damaging methane from being released into the atmosphere, and export renewable electricity to the grid, displacing electricity generated primarily from fossil fuels.
This project also includes a plan to continuously support local communities through a nursery and day care in Lonquén, as well as investments in school infrastructure. This simultaneously creates new job opportunities for women staffing these facilities, and allows women working on the Santa Marta Landfill Gas Recovery Project to use the nursery while they are at work.
Verification
This project is verified by the Gold Standard. You can view it on the Gold Standard registry here.
Climate solution #58
Landfill methane capture
Landfills generate methane as organic waste decomposes. Rather than getting released as emissions, that methane can be captured and used to produce electricity.
Over the course of a century, methane has 34 times the greenhouse effect of carbon dioxide. Landfills are a top source of methane emissions, releasing 12 percent of the world’s total. Landfill methane can be tapped, captured, and used as a fairly clean energy source for generating electricity or heat, rather than leaking into the air or being dispersed as waste.
The climate benefit is twofold: prevent landfill emissions and displace coal, oil, or natural gas that might otherwise be used.
Photos
UN Sustainable Development Goals
The 'Santa Marta Landfill Gas (LFG) Capture for Electricity Generation Project' project aligns with the following UN Sustainable Development Goals:
Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.
Ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality education.
Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy.
Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all.
Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
Read more about the Sustainable Development Goals
