ECOMETHANE

The Aguascalientes
EcoMethane Landfill Gas Project
Waste to energy: mitigating greenhouse gas emissions through the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) at a landfill gas project in Mexico

What is Aguascalientes?
The first of its kind to be registered with the CDM in Mexico, The Aguascalientes EcoMethane Landfill Gas (LFG) project was developed to address the LFG emissions from two local landfills, San Nicolas and Cumbres. In addition to reducing greenhouse gases (GHGs) through capture and flaring of the LFG, the project has also installed 2-4 MW of electricity which reduces fossil-fueled grid energy. As such, the project provides a strong example of how the CDM can be used to address climate change while also encouraging the goals of sustainable development.
Why Landfill Gas?
When organic materials decompose in landfills, methane (CH4) is released. Methane has 21 times the global warming potential of CO2; however, its impacts can be mitigated if landfill methane is captured and flared or used to generate electricity.
While the primary concern over methane emissions is related to its potency as a greenhouse gas (GHG), emissions of LFG can also have significant local health and safety implications. Concentrated LFG can cause asphyxiation and/or toxic effects in humans, and contains over 150 trace components that can cause other local and global environmental
problems such as unpleasant odor, ozone layer depletion, and smog due to ground-level ozone creation.
In the case of Aguascalientes, the Cumbres landfill was opened in 1986 and operated as a sanitary landfill until its closure in 1998. The San Nicolas landfill was subsequently opened in 1999, and will remain open through 2010. Both landfills are owned by the municipal government, and prior to the Aguascalientes project, no systems existed to actively capture or flare the LFG. Moreover, there was no economic incentive or support to develop LFG projects in Mexico, due primarily to the cost of implementation. As such, landfills in Mexico like those at Aguascalientes continued to contribute to climate change while forgoing clean energy opportunities.
Waste to Energy
The Aguascalientes LFG project was developed by EcoMethane, a joint venture between EcoSecurities and Biogas Technology, to finance, construct, and operate a project that would capture and make productive use of the methane emissions from the local landfills. The project involved

A schematic of how LFG projects work.
investing in a highly efficient gas collection system, flaring equipment, and a modular electricity generation plant with an installed capacity between 2-4 MW which combusts the LFG to produce electricity for export to the grid. The system was also designed to be flexible so that it can be easily extended to different parts of the landfill in the future.

Project Type Landfill Gas to Energy
Registration Date April 23, 2005
Operational Start Date June 1, 2006
Time Span 10 year crediting period, more than 20 year lifespan
Reductions 1,625,926 t CO2e over the life of the project
Partner Organizations Biogas Technology Ltd