San Marcos Landfill (closed)

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The San Marcos Planning Commission last week approved a conditional-use permit for a methane-to-energy plant at the former San Marcos Landfill in San Elijo Hills.

The facility, which uses methane produced from decomposing garbage to power turbines that produce electrical energy, had previously operated at the site, and applied for a permit to replace its older engines.

"We wanted to upgrade the engines to better use the gas we were getting, and meet higher emissions standards, and better controls," said David Comora, chief information officer for the operator, Fortistar Methane Group, based in White Plains, N.Y.

The company operates about 50 similar methane facilities throughout the country, he said, including 20 in California.

The San Marcos operation initially received a permit in 1988 to convert methane released by the landfill to electricity on a quarter-acre parcel of the 80-acre site, a staff report to the commission stated.

San Marcos Landfill, which opened in 1979, ceased accepting trash in 1997 and formally closed in 2007, while the methane-to-energy operation continued. It has remained closed for eight months while the company sought permission for the improvements.

The new engines will more efficiently burn methane produced by the landfill, which makes up about 47 percent of the gas pumped from the site, Comora said. He said operators clean and sanitize the remainder of the gas mixture.

The engines, which together produce 1.85 megawatts, can power about 1,330 homes in the area, Comora said. The company leases the land and gas from the county, and sells the resulting energy to SDG&E.

"We sell it under a long-term power purchase agreement and (channel it) into the grid, and they sell to their customers," he said.

The staff report to the planning commission stated that neighbors had raised concerns about noise and air pollution from the operation.

The commission's resolution stated that noise levels must remain below the standard for outdoor noise set in the city's general plan.

It also stated that the facility must comply with environmental standards set by the San Diego Air Pollution Control District, the State Water Resources Control Board, the county Department of Environmental Health.

The commission approved the permit for 10 years, stipulating that the company must apply for an extension to continue operation after that time. Comora said the company expects to operate the facility for about 20 years.