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RNG plant operations improving but debt service leaves first-quarter shortfall, staff and members say
Summary
County staff reported stable landfill-gas deliveries and maintenance work at the county-owned RNG plant but acknowledged downtime from compressor repairs and elevated oxygen levels that reduce efficiency; revenue and expense figures exclude debt service, and committee members warned the project remains cash-negative when debt is included.
Greg Comperta, the RNG facility project manager, told the Landfill Committee that plant operations have shown steady landfill-gas volumes averaging about 3,800–4,100 SCFM over the past four months and that oxygen levels improved from roughly 0.8% in March to about 0.6% in April. He said the plant has experienced multi-day outages from compressor failures, valve replacements and power outages but that recent component replacements and the installation of moisture monitoring equipment are helping reliability.
"We're running, but, you know, we're in as efficient as it could be," Comperta said, noting intermittent sensor issues and feed-compressor repairs that caused two days of downtime in March. He described a purchase order (approximately $737,000) for compressor components and said staff have initiated replacement of CO2 membranes and additional filters to improve carbon removal.
On finances, Comperta reported total revenue through March 31 of about $3,350,000 and total expenses of about $2,800,000, leaving net operating income of about $546,000 for the period; he said debt service is recorded separately. A committee member asked whether including debt service would flip the result; Comperta said debt service is not included in operations figures and that its removal happens later in the year. That prompted a member to observe the first-quarter result would be negative once debt service (discussed during the meeting) is taken into account.
Committee member Jim said, based on his review, the project is "about 10,100,000 in the red" to date and estimated an $11.6 million shortfall at today's dollars once out-year projections are considered. Jim and other members urged staff to track ROI for new compressors and to avoid public statements implying the project is an immediate revenue generator.
The committee also discussed broader benefits: county ownership of the plant provides local jobs and converts landfill gas into pipeline-quality renewable natural gas, reducing waste and generating a renewable supply for the region. Staff said they will continue operational fixes and report progress.
Votes at a glance: the committee approved the March 10 meeting minutes (motion by Hickey; second by Brooks) by roll-call vote, with recorded yes votes from Hickey, Brooks, Bullock, Logan and Axley.
