Up to $7 Million in Grants Adds Fuel to the Methane to Markets Partnership

On December 6th the EPA made up to $7,000,000 available through a grant solicitation for innovative international projects and activities as part of the Methane to Markets Partnership.

The agency expects to award approximately 40 cooperative grants agreements ranging from approximately $100,000 to $700,000. The Methane to Markets partnership is an international initiative to reduce global methane emissions by promoting capture-and-use projects in oil and gas systems, coal mining, landfills, and animal waste management.

EPA is requesting proposals for projects that directly identify, characterize, or implement methane capture-and-use projects. Examples include technology transfers and demonstrations, feasibility studies, training and capacity building, and databases of potential sites.

EPA seeks proposals from a wide variety of institutions, including international governments, universities, and public or private non-profit organizations to advance project development in the following Methane to Markets Partner countries: Argentina, Brazil, China, Colombia, Ecuador, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, South Korea, Ukraine, and Vietnam. EPA will also consider regional proposals including other countries as long as at least one of the countries listed above is included.

The total grants cannot exceed $7 million. The estimated project period for awards is September 2008 through September 2011. Proposals are due by Feb. 22, 2008 at 4 p.m. EST.

More information about this grant: http://www.epa.gov/methanetomarkets/grants.htm or http://www.epa.gov/air/grants_funding.html#0801

emissions control

Caterpillar Generators Selected for Coal Methane Projects in Shanxi, China

Representatives of Caterpillar Inc. accompany James Connaughton, senior environmental and natural resources advisor to President George W. Bush, as he visited the Sihe Coal Mine in Jincheng city, Shanxi Province, China. Sihe is the world's largest coal methane power plant and will use 60 Caterpillar methane-gas-powered generator sets to create 120 megawatts of power when fully operational. Following the success of this project, Caterpillar has been selected to provide an additional 31 methane-gas-powered generator sets to produce 54 megawatts of power at the Cheng Zhuang and Mei Gan Shi coal mines in the same city in Shanxi Province.

"The United States and other nations including China are working together to set a long-term global goal for reducing greenhouse gases," said James Connaughton, who was appointed by President Bush in 2001 to serve as the Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality. "Economic growth, energy security and climate change must be addressed in an integrated way. The Jincheng coal methane plants are excellent examples of how to increase energy use in an environmentally responsible way," Connaughton added. "We hope to advance more projects like these through the Asia-Pacific Partnership (APP) on Clean Development and Climate, which addresses growing energy demand by advancing clean energy technology development and deployment."

The Shanxi Jincheng Anthracite Coal Mining Group Co., Ltd. is the project developer for all three coal methane power plants. Caterpillar will work closely with its dealer WesTrac China Limited on product commissioning and ongoing support for these projects. Methane gas found in coal seams can be highly volatile and it is a major cause of underground explosions. Historically it has been vented into the atmosphere. By capturing the previously vented methane gas and converting it into electricity, the Caterpillar generator sets will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve mine safety and increase the capacity of the local power grid.

"This is a major step forward in China's road to sustainable development and demonstrates positive bilateral trade relations between the United States and China," said Stu Levenick, Caterpillar group president with responsibility for Asia.

The 11th Five-Year Plan guiding China's development between 2006 and 2010 emphasizes that building a recyclable economy is an important way for China to build a resource-efficient and environment-friendly society, thus realizing sustainable development. China has set a goal of reducing the emissions of major pollutants by 10 percent during this five-year period. As part of the second Strategic Economic Dialogue, the United States and China have agreed to develop up to 15 large-scale coalmine methane capture and utilization projects in China in the next five years.

"Caterpillar is a long-term investor in China, and we are excited to see that China has positioned methane gas capture and utilization as a priority." said Rich Lavin, Chairman of Caterpillar (China) Investment Co., Ltd. and a Caterpillar vice president with responsibility for Asia Pacific manufacturing operations. "Our trade relations will continue to strengthen and produce on-going returns."

The 3500 series generators used in these projects are produced at Caterpillar's Large Engine Center in Lafayette, Indiana. "Caterpillar generator sets have been producing electricity around the world for nearly 70 years," said Bill Rohner, Caterpillar vice president with responsibility for the Electric Power Division. "We are pleased to be involved with these new opportunities in China."

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PRNewswire
Caterpillar, Inc.

air pollution
energy

Greenhouse Gas Partnership Wants Clean Energy Projects for Beijing Expo

Washington, D.C. -- March 12, 2007 -- The Methane to Markets Partnership, a multilateral initiative that promotes greenhouse gas reduction, today issued a call for projects to feature at its first Beijing Partnership Expo Oct. 30 - Nov.1.

Twenty times more effective than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere, methane is both a potent greenhouse gas and a valuable energy resource. The top three sources of methane are livestock emissions, landfills, and oil and gas production. The Methane to Markets Partnership focuses on promoting projects that reduce methane emissions and utilize the methane as a clean energy source.

“This Expo is a perfect example of how public-private partnerships can advance environmental goals such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions and delivering clean energy to markets around the world,” said Bill Wehrum, EPA’s acting assistant administrator for Air and Radiation and chairman of the Methane to Markets Steering Committee. “I hope the private sector, site managers, and others will take advantage of this opportunity to showcase potential projects to financiers.”

The Expo will highlight potential projects in four sectors: agriculture, coal mining, landfills, and oil and gas systems.

The Expo will provide attendees with the opportunity to:
o Showcase project opportunities for potential investors
o Meet with potential project partners and financiers
o Learn about the latest technologies and services
o Explore key technical, policy and financial issues
Any entity, private or public, can enter a project proposal for consideration at www.methanetomarkets.org/expo. The submission deadline is July 2, 2007.

China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) will co-host the Expo with the Methane to Markets Partnership.

The is a public-private partnership that brings together the technical and market expertise, financing, and technology necessary to advance near-term, cost-effective methane recovery and use projects in the four industrial sectors mentioned above. Nineteen partner countries and a growing project network of over 500 public and private sector organizations work to reduce emissions of methane while delivering clean energy to markets around the world.

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Methane to Markets Partnership

Clean Energy Projects Turn Landfills into Community Assets

(Washington, D.C. - Jan. 24, 2007) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognized the accomplishments of numerous landfill methane partners who are generating clean, renewable energy while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

"Across the nation, EPA is helping transform landfill waste into energy wealth," said Bill Wehrum, acting assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Air and Radiation. "We are recognizing partners who have demonstrated superior innovation and environmental achievement in advancing landfill gas energy projects."

Methane, a primary component of landfill gas, is a greenhouse gas that is over 20 times as potent as carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere. EPA's Landfill Methane Outreach Program has assisted in developing more than 325 landfill gas projects in the past 12 years, reducing methane emissions by about 90 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. Nationwide, there are more than 400 projects in operation, and in 2006 alone, these projects provided over 10 billion kilowatt hours of electricity and 75 billion cubic feet of landfill gas to corporate and government end users. These projects produced energy equivalent to powering roughly 780,000 homes and heating nearly 1.2 million homes, turning the landfills into community assets.

EPA's Landfill Methane Outreach Program is a voluntary assistance and partnership program that reduces greenhouse gas emissions by supporting landfill gas energy project development. The program also assists countries throughout the world in developing landfill methane reduction projects through the international Methane to Markets Partnership.
Landfill Methane Outreach Program award winners:

Project of the Year: Jackson County Green Energy Park, N.C. – Landfill gas will be used to help heat local businesses and help produce biodiesel made from rapeseed grown by local farmers and sold to the National Park Service.

Project of the Year: Lancaster County and Turkey Hill Dairy, Pa. – The facility's landfill gas-fueled engines produce enough clean energy to power 2,000 homes and steam for Turkey Hill Dairy, maker of ice cream, milk, and tea products.

Project of the Year: Jefferson Parish and Cytec Industries Inc., La. – With Hurricanes Katrina and Rita striking during project construction, the project partners had to overcome substantial obstacles to bring landfill gas to fuel the Cytec plant and economic benefits to the region.
Project of the Year: Jenkins Brick Company, Ala. – The new $56 million dollar state-of-the-art brick manufacturing plant is the first major manufacturing facility located specifically to take advantage of local landfill gas, which will be used to help power brick kilns.

Community Partner of the Year: DeKalb County, Ga. – The county provided funding and vision in the development of a project that overcame political and institutional barriers to bring clean energy to Atlanta area residences and businesses.

Energy Partner of the Year: BMW Manufacturing, S.C. – BMW expanded its landfill gas project used for powering and heating its plant to fueling its paint shop operations, becoming the first company in the world to do so.

Energy Partner of the Year: Murray City Power, Utah – By creating a unique project financing structure, Murray City Power uses landfill gas from the Salt Lake Valley Solid Waste Management Facility to generate three megawatts of green electricity for the Salt Lake City region, powering about 2,000 homes.

State Partner of the Year: Delaware Solid Waste Authority, Del. – DSWA is generating electricity from landfill gas at every viable landfill in the state.

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Landfill Methane Outreach Program

EPA Helps Farmers Turn Livestock Waste into Wealth

(Washington, D.C. - Jan. 18, 2007) EPA and its partners have released guidance that can help farmers manage livestock waste and boost farm earnings while reducing greenhouse gases. Processing livestock manure under controlled conditions can produce biogas, a source of greenhouse gas emissions. Farmers also benefit because the biogas can be used to generate electricity.

"Using biogas has multiple benefits; it decreases greenhouse gas emissions, produces renewable energy for rural communities, and safeguards local air and water quality," said Bill Wehrum, EPA's acting assistant administrator of Air and Radiation. "This guidance will help farmers and potential investors make informed choices about which systems work best for farms, for profits, and for our environment."

Biogas is made up of methane and carbon dioxide. Because methane is more than 20 times as potent as carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere, capturing biogas provides significant environmental benefits. Also, farmers and project developers can increase their incomes by using biogas for on-site electricity generation or delivery to a local electric utility.

Waste methane recovery systems, also known as anaerobic digestion systems, are estimated to be feasible at about 7,000 dairy and swine operations in the United States. In 2005, about 110 systems were operational or under construction, and another 80 were in the planning stages.
The standardized guidance was developed jointly by EPA's AgStar program, the Association of State Energy Research and Technology Transfer Institutions, and USDA. The guidance will provide a standardized method that will allow farm operators and investors to compare the effectiveness of available waste methane recovery systems.

AgStar is a voluntary program that encourages the use of waste methane recovery systems on dairy and swine farms. Each year, these systems have reduced methane by about 1.5 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent, while providing enough renewable energy to power over 20,000 average American homes. The program also assists countries throughout the world in developing biogas recovery projects through the Methane to Markets Partnership.

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AgStar Protocol

General information on Methane to Markets Partnership

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