‘Swamp Gas’ Electric Plant Is Ready to Log in

A $13.7-million plant at the Palos Verdes Landfill that makes electricity from gas given off by decomposing organic material will be dedicated and open for tours on Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The plant eventually will earn as much as $7 million a year by harnessing what otherwise would be a waste product. It burns methane--sometimes called “swamp gas”--to produce steam that powers an electrical generator.

The plant produces 11 megawatts of electrical power, which is enough for about 20,000 homes, according to the county Sanitation Districts. The electricity is sold to Southern California Edison Co. The 180-acre landfill, at 25706 Hawthorne Blvd. in Rolling Hills Estates, has been closed to dumping since 1980.

While the main purpose of the plant is to eliminate the unpleasant odors, the sanitation districts said the project also turns a waste product--normally burned off--into usable energy and eventually will earn between $5 million and $7 million a year for landfill maintenance.

Rolling Hills Estates will receive 1% of the gross revenue.

Built by Mitsui & Co. (USA), a Japanese-based construction company, the plant will be acquired by the sanitation districts by 1993 under a lease-purchase agreement.

John Eppich, assistant head of the districts’ Solid Waste Management Department, said there will be little profit before then because of operating and acquisition expenses. But he estimated that from 1994 to 1998, the profits will be between $5 million and $7 million a year. The profits will decrease later, upon the expiration of the fixed-price agreement under which Edison has agreed to buy electricity.

After 1998, Edison will pay “on the basis of the cheapest power it can buy . . . an unknown figure at this time.”

The county operates a similar, but larger, gas-to-energy facility at the Puente Hills Landfill in Whittier.