Oct 20 2012
Broadrock Renewables, in partnership with the County of Orange, held a ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the inauguration of Broadrock’s newly completed landfill gas-to-energy generating plant located at the County’s Olinda Alpha Landfill in Brea, California.
Broadrock’s new facility has a renewable energy generating capacity of 32.5 MW, and when combined with Broadrock’s existing 5MW facility, totals 37.5 MW of renewable energy generating capacity installed at the Olinda Alpha Landfill. This is the 2nd largest power plant fueled by landfill gas in the United States.
“Broadrock is extremely pleased to bring this new facility into commercial operation,” said Randy Holmes, President and CEO of Broadrock. “This exciting project was only made possible by the extraordinary level of collaboration and cooperation among the stakeholders. Orange County provided the landfill gas, the City of Anaheim purchased the electricity, the City of Brea provided infrastructure support, and the U.S. Department of Energy provided grants and other financial incentives that played a key role in financing the construction of the project. This project is an outstanding example of how public sector entities can work with the private sector to create innovative solutions for our nation’s critical infrastructure needs. This project will provide clean, reliable, renewable energy to Orange County for decades to come. “
The Project is a recipient of a $10 million stimulus grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). DOE awarded these funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to promote increased use of industrial energy efficiency technologies as part of a broader effort to help cut overall energy use, save American businesses money, grow jobs, and reduce carbon pollution across the country.
John M. W. Moorlach, Chair of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, cites the new power plant as an excellent example of a successful public-private partnership. “The facility benefits the environment and the economy. The electricity produced at the plant will power local homes and businesses. It’s a win-win.”
“This project was truly ‘groundbreaking’ in a number of ways, from a clean energy generation perspective, the emissions technology utilized and job creation,” said Frank DiCola, President and CEO of DCO Energy. “The facility’s output is roughly ten times the size of the average LFG to electricity project, all while utilizing state of the art high efficiency, low emission controls that will set a new standard in this industry.”
Honoured guests at the October 19th ribbon cutting ceremony included: Jordan Brandman, Chair of the Public Utilities Board; Pat Carroll, Public Utilities Board; Charles Peltzer, Public Utilities Board; Mayor Ron Garcia, Brea City; Marty Simonoff, Brea City Council; Ron Garcia, Brea City Council; and, Brett Murdock, Brea City Council.