Photo by Nathan Gray

Methane gas is pumped out of the ground of landfills by fuel pumps seen here. The gas is collected in the new 3.2 megawatt generating station at the Anderson Regional Landfill and then turned into electricty using two 20-cylinder enine generators.

Photo by Nathan Gray

The new 3.2-megawatt generating station at the Anderson Regional Landfill, that was set up by Sante Cooper and Allied Waste, includes two Caterpillar 20-cylinder engine generators that burns landfill gas into electricity. They provide enough power for about 1,500 homes.

Photo by Nathan Gray

Jeremy Murphy, left, describes the function of the fuel skid during a tour of the new 3.2-megawatt generating station fueled by renewable biogas at teh Anderson Regional Landfill in Belton on Tuesday. The station, put in by Santee Cooper and Allied Waste, includes two Caterpillar 20-cylinder engine generators, and it provides enough poer for about 1,500 homes.

ANDERSON COUNTY — By using a natural byproduct of the waste disposal process, Santee Cooper and Allied Waste hope to be able to create a new renewable energy source in Anderson County.

Representatives of the electricity company and the waste disposal company announced Tuesday the startup of a new, 3.2-megawatt electricity generating station fueled by the methane gas produced by decomposing garbage.

The announcement was made at the Anderson Regional Landfill on Landfill Road in Belton, where the new facility is located.

The first of its kind in Anderson County, and the fourth of its kind in the state, the facility is expected to generate enough renewable electricity to provide power to roughly 1,500 homes. According to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials, every one megawatt of power produced by facilities such as the Anderson Regional Landfill Generating Station is the rough equivalent of removing almost 8,000 cars from area roads or planting more than 10,000 acres of trees.

The program works by inserting pipes into the landfills to collect methane gas. The gas is naturally produced when garbage decays.

From there, the gas is processed and then delivered to two specially designed generators that produce electricity. That electricity is then distributed to Santee Cooper electricity customers, including electric cooperatives.

Tom Kierspe, vice president of engineering and construction services with Santee Cooper, said the company has received a mandate to provide low-cost, reliable electricity in an environmentally responsible way.

“We are turning that biogas into renewable, green power that helps diversify our fuel mix, and it’s a real environmental success story,” Kierspe said.

The company is working on other projects such as generating power from forest waste, yard waste and other sources of woody trash.

Tim Ralston, senior manager of renewable energy developments for Allied Waste, said the Anderson facility is one of 57 such facilities on landfills owned or operated by Allied Waste and is part of the company’s work to benefit the communities, the environment and the nation.

“Collectively, these biogas-to-energy projects generate enough energy to power approximately 275,000 homes,” Ralston said. “Domestically generated renewable energy is an essential component of the country’s efforts to reduce our reliance on foreign oil.”