Kent County Bioenergy Facility, LLC, a subsidiary of Anaergia Inc., has been awarded a $5 million grant from the Michigan Public Service Commission in support of developing the Kent County Bioenergy Facility, a project in partnership with the Kent County Department of Public Works (DPW). The project is designed to increase recycling, reduce Kent County’s dependence on landfills, create jobs, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and produce carbon-negative renewable fuel.
The total cost to implement the overall project is currently estimated to be approximately $380 million. The grant from the State of Michigan is an important step in advancing this significant potential project.
Michigan’s Low Carbon Energy Infrastructure Enhancement and Development grants are given to projects that develop low carbon energy infrastructure and help move the state toward carbon neutrality.
“Kent County has a real opportunity to create a better world for future generations by building the Kent County Bioenergy Facility and Sustainable Business Park,” said Dar Baas, director at the Kent County Department of Public Works. “Thank you to the Michigan Public Service Commission for recognizing the importance of this project in helping achieve Kent County’s landfill diversion goals.”
Kent County Bioenergy Facility, planned as the anchor tenant at the greater Sustainable Business Park, is designed to help Kent County reach the ambitious goal of diverting 90 percent of trash from the local landfill by 2030. The facility is expected to initially divert over 50 percent of municipal solid waste while reducing methane emissions by recovering organic material in the waste and converting it into renewable natural gas and fertilizer. Non-degradable recyclable materials otherwise destined for a landfill would also be reclaimed.
“Over 40 percent of what is landfilled in the U.S. creates methane, a potent greenhouse gas that is responsible for at least 30 percent of global warming to date – so projects like the one being developed by Kent County Bioenergy Facility will do no less than help save the planet,” said Brett Hodson, chief executive officer of Anaergia.
This innovative facility is designed to help reduce Kent County’s dependence on landfills and put West Michigan on the map as a national leader in recycling, reducing waste and curbing greenhouse gas emissions from landfills. The project is also expected to create jobs and attract investment from companies that can join the Sustainable Business Park and convert waste into usable products.
The Kent County DPW anticipates requesting approval from the Kent County Board of Public Works to move forward with the Kent County Bioenergy Facility project in July. The project would then go to the full Kent County Board of Commissioners for review and approval. If approved, the Kent County Bioenergy Facility project could be fully operational by early 2027.
