Merrick Landfill becomes part of Green Energy Initiative

The Merrick Landfill, otherwise known as the City Dump, has proven to again be a money maker for the City of North Bay.

At Tuesday evening's council meeting, Alan Korell, Managing Director of Engineering, Environmental Services and Works, announced the good news that the City will be seeing nearly 100,000 carbons credits for their part in burning off the emissions generated underground by the decaying waste from 2008 until June of 2011.

The waste gases that were being flared or burnt off are now being used in a newly designed power station that generates electricity from the excess gases released under the ground at the dump.

The energy credits that will generate the positive cash flow for the city are part of the Green Energy Initiative in Canada and now that the emissions are generating electricity as well, the benefit to the City should be greatly enhanced both environmentally and fiscally.

The City has teamed up the Greening Canada Fund and will sell the credits over the next three years.

“The carbon credits are worth something on the world stage,” says Korell.

The benefit is expected to be in the $700,000 range as credits accumulate over time to be reinvested in the Merrick Landfill site, keeping costs and taxes down for City rate pairs.

“This will also help us to expand the land site in the future,” Korell says.

The system, by burning the gases that are pumped out of the landfill site, removes the Methane and Ozone depleting gas and in the process, electricity is generated with the heat via steam, allowing for a large, beneficial gain of reduced atmospheric pollution and of course, electricity.