Energy company plans to convert Manatee landfill waste gas into fuel

Manatee County and a South Florida-based energy company are moving ahead with plans to build a plant adjacent to the Lena Road Landfill to capture waste gas from the facility and convert it into natural gas.

Nopetro Energy of Miami said in a news release it plans to build a $50 million site, beginning in 2026 with production beginning in 2027.

Manatee County officials as recently as 2023 have discussed the possibility of teaming up with an energy company to harness the methane gas that is normally produced by landfill operations. That gas is typically burned off as a byproduct.

Now it will be source of income for Manatee County, under the proposal, though specific revenue amounts were not released.

“This is a free revenue source on stuff that we’re currently just burning off,” said Manatee County Commission chair George Kruse in a statement. “We owe it to the taxpayers to try to maximize outside revenue so we can eliminate some of their costs.”

Commissioners agreed 5-1 to the series of one-year $1 leases of the site at their Oct. 7 meeting. The leases are renewable for up to 20 years.

The company, without providing dollar figures on what they would pay for the gas or other provisions, said another benefit of its plant would be the elimination of emissions from the so-called flaring of methane from the landfill.

The gas at the landfill is created through the decomposition of landfill waste and would be drawn out from “wells” beneath the landfill and then would enter a process to remove all components, except methane, qualifying it as renewable natural gas.

A small percentage of the gas produced by the landfill is already used in the Southeast Water Reclamation Facility for drying biosolids as well as being used for heating for a grease boiler that accepts waste.

The Manatee County project expands Nopetro’s existing renewable energy platform, which includes its first landfill gas-to-RNG facility in Vero Beach, Florida, and its 15 RNG fueling stations across the state.

The fuel can power vehicles and is seen as a domestic alternative to diesel fuel.

“This project reflects what’s possible when innovation and collaboration come together to create real impact,” said Travis Payne, Nopetro Energy’s senior vice president of RNG Development. “By transforming a wasted local asset into something productive, we’re helping Manatee County generate new revenue, and set the foundation for a more resilient future for generations.”