A Texas company wants to build a plant to convert methane to natural gas at the Pine Bend Sanitary Landfill in Inver Grove Heights, replacing another facility that previously turned methane into electricity.
The proposed plant, which is still going through the city approval process, may be the first of its kind in Minnesota, a city official said.
Fortistar, an investment firm that provides capital to build and manage companies that create "green" energy sources, would lease property for the new energy recovery facility from the Pine Bend landfill. The company is also seeking city approval of an associated pipeline.
The Inver Grove Heights Planning Commission has recommended that the city allow the 12,000-square-foot facility. Fortistar needs the city to issue a conditional use permit and amend its zoning ordinance to move forward.
The City Council preliminarily approved the zoning ordinance in late February. The ordinance change and permit will be up for final approval at the April 12 council meeting.
Allan Hunting, Inver Grove Heights' city planner, said he doesn't foresee any challenges to the project getting city approval, and he noted the natural gas produced could be used to power vehicles.
"There's an environmental benefit to it and we think it's a good thing for the city," he said.
Landfills naturally produce methane gas as trash decomposes. The previous facility, which operated from the mid-1990s through 2019, turned methane gas into electricity.
