Landfill to build power plant run on methane gas

Waste Management Inc. plans to build Arkansas' second "gas-to-energy plant" near its Tontitown landfill.

The plant will convert methane gas to generate about 5 megawatts of electricity, which could power 5,000 homes, said George Wheatley, a spokesman for the Houston based company. Methane gas is created naturally as waste decays in landfills.

"It's green electricity," Wheatley said. "It moves your landfill from being just a landfill to being a component of renewable energy."

The Tontitown landfill should have an ample supply of methane to provide 5 megawatts of electricity for about 30 years, Wheatley said.