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PPL Partners with Vermont Landfill to Develop Renewable Energy Generating Facility


WEBWIRE

PPL Renewable Energy, a subsidiary of PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL), will develop and install a 4.8-megawatt methane-to-electricity power generation system at the Moretown Landfill in Moretown, Vt., the company announced Thursday (11/8).

Moretown Landfill, a subsidiary of Highstar Waste Holding Corp., will provide 2.4 million cubic feet of methane gas every day to power Caterpillar generators at the 200-acre facility.

Methane-to-energy systems at landfills have a dual benefit for the environment — they generate electricity from renewable fuel while also eliminating emissions of methane, a gas that contributes to global warming. Methane is created when refuse in landfills decomposes.

“This project is consistent with our company’s vision of being the best possible partner to all of our constituencies, local communities, customers, employees and shareholders,” said Frank E. Celli, chief operating officer of Highstar Waste Holding Corp. “By developing this project with PPL Renewable Energy, the Moretown Landfill creates a beneficial use for a naturally occurring byproduct of our waste management operations and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.”

The power generated by the facility will be sent to the electricity grid and will power the equivalent of 3,000 homes. The companies expect the project to be operational by Dec. 31, 2008.

“We’re excited to be partnering with HWHC on this project that captures a valuable fuel that would otherwise be wasted and uses it to generate electricity,” said Steve Gabrielle, business development manager for PPL Renewable Energy. “When completed, this plant will prevent the equivalent of 29,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year. That’s equal to removing 40,000 cars from the road or planting 57,000 acres of new forest.”

PPL Renewable Energy already has developed renewable energy projects that total more than 15 megawatts of generation — enough to power 12,000 homes. These include solar panel installations and landfill gas projects in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

In addition, PPL purchases energy from the 24-megawatt Bear Creek wind farm near Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and the 26-megawatt Locust Ridge project in Mahanoy City, Pa. Other projects — including new solar, landfill gas, wind and biomass — are under development by PPL.

PPL Renewable Energy, a subsidiary of PPL Corporation, develops, owns, operates and maintains renewable energy projects in the northeastern United States. The company will invest at least $100 million in additional renewable energy projects in the next five years.



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