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Shoal Canyon landfill gas plant on track; neighbors press for clearer air monitoring and outreach
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Summary
Staff reported four landfill-gas gensets are onsite to generate up to about 11 MW net under a $76.4 million project budget; public commenters urged better website scheduling, an operational fire plan, and onsite air monitoring for health transparency.
Foaib Bashir, electrical engineering associate and project manager for the Shoal Canyon Biogas Renewable Project, updated commissioners that the Shoal Canyon Landfill project has four Jenbacher gensets on-site designed to produce roughly 11 megawatts net by mixing landfill gas with natural gas during startup. Bashir said the project’s EPC contractor is ATCO Energy Systems and that NWES (Northeast Western Energy Systems) supplied the gensets.
Bashir reported a project budget of about $76,400,000 with expenditures to date of roughly $51,800,000. Remaining on-site deliverables include a gas analyzer enclosure and an ammonia holding tank for selective catalytic reduction (SCR) NOx control; staff also showed images of a 60,000-gallon fire tank and the plant layout. Bashir said some equipment remains to be delivered for commissioning and that staff are finalizing the completion date with ATCO.
During commissioner and public questioning, staff clarified that natural gas usage at startup is expected to be small — typically 3% or less in practice though the natural gas line can supply up to 10% — and that the generators will run primarily on landfill gas after ramp-up. Commissioners asked whether flaring would continue; staff said the goal is to minimize flaring but acknowledged there will be some flaring during startup and times when production exceeds generator consumption.
Neighbors who spoke during public comment emphasized air‑quality concerns, noting that landfill gas can contain higher levels of contaminants than other sources and urging frequent, transparent monitoring. One speaker said the website still lists pretesting dates (March–June 2025) that were not updated and requested the site be corrected and that a public monitoring station be considered. Staff said the generators will have continuous emissions monitoring systems (CEMS) for compliance reporting to the South Coast Air Quality Management District and that they will confer with the marketing/outreach team about website updates and stakeholder briefings.
Why it matters: The plant will turn landfill gas — currently flared — into dispatchable renewable energy to reduce methane emissions and add local generation. Community acceptance depends on transparent emissions reporting and timely public outreach.
What’s next: Staff will finalize a completion schedule with ATCO, consider outreach (including drone footage or virtual tours rather than onsite construction access), and review what information from CEMS can be shared publicly.
