ENER-G Natural Power opens 2.47MW biogas plant in Mexico

ENER-G Natural Power has opened its new £4.4m new biogas plant located on a 42ha landfill site in Aguascalientes, Mexico.

Clean renewable energy is generated by two 1.6 MW biogas generators located at the landfill site which receives a total of 3.9 million tonnes of household, commercial and industrial waste.

The company has also signed a 15-year power purchase agreement with the Nissan Mexicana, to provide 2.475MW of clean energy to power its automotive manufacturing site in the same area.

The electricity will be transported through overhead lines over a distance of 20km through a supply contract with the Federal Commission of Electricity.

Nissan Mexicana vice president of manufacturing Armando Avila said, "This project allows us four years to advance the environmental challenges of our program Nissan Green Program 2016 to reduce CO2 emissions."

Nissan is the first automotive plant in Mexico to use electricity from biogas to produce 37,000 vehicles per year.

In 2006, the Municipality of Aquascalientes which owns the site appointed ENER-G group company Biogas Technology to collect and destroy the methane gas emissions by flaring.

The landfill site is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 90,000 tonnes per year.

The project will assist Mexico deliver on its new Climate Change Act, which will commit Mexico to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 30% per cent by 2020, by 50% by 2050.

The climate change act also calls for the nation to generate 35% of electricity from renewable sources by 2024.