Pact reached to turn gas from landfill into energy

Gas produced by rotting garbage at the Cedar Hills landfill could warm homes and cook food by the end of 2008 under an agreement approved Monday by the King County Council.

Virginia-based Ingenco has agreed to pay $1.3 million a year for the landfill's methane, which would be sold as pipeline-quality gas. The county would receive a share of any revenues if gas prices were to go above a certain amount during the 20-year, renewable contract.

County Executive Ron Sims said the methane plant would capture carbon emissions that have the same climate-altering effect as 22,000 cars. "That's terrific news in our efforts to curb global warming here in King County," Sims said in a statement.

King County now spends $80,000 a year to collect and burn off methane at the dump. Ingenco proposes to market the gas through a Puget Sound Energy pipeline that runs beside the landfill.

The County Council authorized the county executive in 1992 to find a company that would turn the gas into energy. The county signed a contract in 2004 with Bio Energy, a subsidiary of Australian firm EDI, which planned to use methane to generate electricity.

That generating plant wasn't built because of changing market conditions, said Theresa Jennings, county director of natural resources and parks.

"We feel really confident with this vendor," Jennings said. "They have a number of other projects up and running in the United States. They have a good track record. This is perfect timing in terms of the market, a perfect schedule to get things going."

Ingenco operates six landfill-gas facilities and is building four others. The company, a holding of private equity firm First Reserve, is buying Bio Energy's interest at Cedar Hills.

Keith Ervin: 206-464-2105 or kervin@seattletimes.com