A $200 million renewable natural gas plant recently opened at Waste Management’s Twin Creeks landfill in Warwick Township.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford was on hand, with employees, community members, and government and company representatives, for an invitation-only official opening Thursday at the plant that, at full capacity, processes up to 8,000 standard cubic feet of landfill gas per minute, Waste Management said.
Waste Management announced the project in 2023, designed to, at full capacity, create enough natural gas to heat 35,000 homes per year.
It works by removing carbon dioxide, oxygen, and other trace gasses, compressing the remainder and injecting it into Enbridge’s transmission network, the company said in 2023, noting the only difference between landfill-produced and fossil fuel-derived natural gas is the source.
The project is one of 20 renewable natural gas facilities Waste Management planned to invest in between 2022 and 2026, the company said in a press release.
The Twin Creeks site started producing pipeline-quality renewable natural gas earlier this fall, the company said in an email.
Work to optimize and ramp up operations is underway, the company said.
Five dedicated renewable natural gas workers and two landfill technicians support the operation, and plans are to eventually grow to about 10 positions, the company said.
The project also involved building a new pipeline connection to Ontario’s natural gas network.
Plans were to open in early 2025, but there were delays amid “regulatory approvals, equipment installation, construction coordination, and a detailed commissioning process to ensure the RNG (renewable natural gas) meets the quality standards required,” the company emailed, calling it “a large and complex infrastructure project.”
The funding is part of a broader long-term renewable energy strategy, Waste Management said.
“By cutting taxes and red tape, our government is saving businesses and families $12 billion every year, which companies are reinvesting in workers, new equipment and more jobs,” Ford said in the news release, calling the new facility “a terrific example of what happens when governments create the conditions for companies to expand and grow.”
Waste Management of Canada Corporation president Tracy Black, in the release, said “this investment reflects WM’s long-term commitment to Ontario, our employees, and the communities we serve.”
Waste Management is also applying to Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks for a vertical landfill expansion at Twin Creeks, to add 14.3-million cubic metres of capacity and extend the landfill’s life to 2044. It’s currently expected to be full in 2032.
A formal public comment period closed in August, and a decision is expected in 2027, the company said.
The proposed expansion and natural gas plant are separate projects, but expansion could mean more runway for the natural gas project, Waste Management emailed.
“Landfill gas continues to be generated for many years . . . after a landfill reaches its permitted capacity,” the company said. “The facility’s operating life will ultimately depend on the volume of gas available and system performance.”
