3 Mar 2021

Aggreko has signed a seven-year contract with Brazilian energy company EVA Energia for a 10 MW renewable power solution using landfill gas.

The provider of mobile and modular power solutions will deliver a complete system, producing power from biogas derived from two locations: Seropédica (Rio de Janeiro State), the largest landfill site in Latin America, and Mauá (São Paulo State).

a flexible, fast, and cost-efficient way

Aggreko will provide a flexible, fast, and cost-efficient way of delivering cleaner energy for approximately 40,000 households in the region, achieving a carbon saving of more than 100,000 tons over the contract life.

The innovative solution uses landfill gas that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere. The total amount of methane emissions avoided totals 24,440,400 Nm3 annually.

Biogas recovery

The wells are connected by a pipe system, which collects the gas and transports it to a compression system

The biogas is recovered via a series of wells drilled into the landfill. These wells are connected by a pipe system, which collects the gas and transports it to a compression system, where it is filtered, de-watered, and pressurized.

From there, the gas is piped to a power generation plant, where it is used as fuel to generate electricity, before being passed on to power local homes in the region.

turnkey solution

Aggreko will deploy a turnkey solution, comprising a total of eight 1.25 MW generators across the two sites, providing a total of 10 MW power.

The highly efficient gas generators employ the latest technology to enable the effective use of landfill gas as fuel and reduce emissions at both sites, surpassing regulatory standards significantly.

operation and maintenance

The systems will be managed by Aggreko’s leading Remote Monitoring software, meaning trained engineers will control and maintain the performance of the generators remotely.

Aggreko will be responsible for the installation, operation, and maintenance of the entire system for the contract’s duration.

Seropédica and Mauá landfill sites

Seropédica and Mauá landfill sites have the potential to produce 73 million cubic meters of biogas

The Seropédica landfill is the largest in Latin America, with a capacity of up to 10,000 tons of waste per day, with the Mauá site, located in Sao Paulo state, receiving more than 3,000 tons per day.

The Seropédica and Mauá landfill sites have the potential to produce 73 million cubic meters of biogas each year, preventing harmful carbon dioxide and methane emissions from being released into the atmosphere and instead harnessing it to provide power for local residents.

power and natural gas commercialization

EVA Energia operates in power and natural gas commercialization, distributed generation, and biomethane sales and is a joint venture between the GNPW Group and the Urca Energia Group.

Both work with distributed generation, alternative fuels, and energy technologies. The companies are also part of Evolution Power Partners (EPP), a developer of more than 5 GW in natural gas generation projects in Brazil.

energy transition

Commenting on the news, Pablo Varela, Managing Director, of Aggreko Latin America, said, “As the third largest source of anthropogenic methane emissions in the world, landfill biogas is an underutilized resource for power generation."

He adds, "As the energy transition continues to gather pace, we know that our customers are increasingly looking for sustainable but simultaneously flexible power solutions that help them drive efficiencies, while also supporting their carbon reduction targets."

less carbon-intensive alternative

At Aggreko, we have optimized our generators so they can run efficiently on future fuels like biogas"

Pablo Varela continues, "Landfill gas is ideal to support the delivery of these goals and our power solutions help customers around the world to benefit from this fuel.

He stated, “At Aggreko, we have optimized our generators so they can run efficiently on future fuels like biogas, with this providing a cost-effective and less carbon-intensive alternative to thermal fuels."

solar, hybrid, and storage solutions 

Pablo Varela concludes, "For Seropédica and Mauá, our team will work alongside EVA Energia to use the gas produced by the landfill site, which will be used to power homes and businesses in the surrounding area.

The project is the latest in a series of successful ventures in the region for Aggreko, which recently announced plans for a 26 MW solar hybrid solution at Salares Norte mine in Chile, as well as a number of hybrid and storage solutions for customers in Argentina and Brazil.