Buried Treasure

“Mexico ranks second in Latin America in global greenhouse gas emissions and methane constitutes around one-third of Mexico’s GHG emissions. Methane primarily originates from solid municipal waste landfills where standard practice is open dumpsite waste disposal. This project manages the waste using technology to create an environmentally safe method. By supporting well-run projects like this one, we can permanently destroy this powerful short-lived climate pollutant and have a significant impact on the environment.”

– Johanna Depenthal, Director of Project Research

Project Type: Landfill Gas: Renewable Energy

Carbon Standard: CAR

Vintage: 2021-2022

Additionality: Without carbon finance, this project in Mexico, reliant on expensive technology and facing high perceived risks by local banks for landfill gas (LFG) projects, cannot operate.

Permanence: When methane gas is combusted for electricity or flared it is permanently destroyed. Calibrated machines provide an accurate count of exactly how much methane was destroyed.

Site Visit: September 2024

The Ciudad Juarez Landfill Gas to Energy Project is a landfill gas (LFG) collection and utilization project in the Ciudad Juarez landfill in the desert-dominated state of Chihuahua, Mexico (the Host Country). The Project’s purpose is to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by capturing and utilizing the methane (CH4) in the LFG released by the Ciudad Juarez landfill and avoiding future GHG emissions from the decomposition of municipal solid waste residues.

The captured methane is combusted to generate electricity exported to the national power grid and used as an alternative source of cheap, local, stable, and renewable energy. Thus, in addition to directly eliminating a significant portion of methane emissions, a potent GHG with 80 times the global warming potential of CO2 in a 20-year period, the Project will also displace fossil fuel-based electricity generation that would have caused the emission of additional CO2. All landfill gas collected when electricity is not produced will be flared turning methane gases into carbon dioxide (a lower global warming potential pollutant) and water.

The Ciudad Juarez landfill, which started operating in 1994, has an estimated capacity of 30,000,000 cubic meters and a footprint of 79 hectares (nearly 200 acres or 151 football fields). The landfill, when full, is predicted to be closed in 2040.

The collected landfill gas is used for electricity generation on-site using a destruction device considered as Rich-burn internal combustion engine as per Mexico Landfill Protocol. The plant for generating electricity includes a generator-set of 6.4 MW installed capacity (comprised of four generator engines), a 13.8 to 115 kVA transformer during phase I, a transmission line that reaches the local electric grid.

The project has been registered since 30/11/2007 under CDM Standard and has successfully transitioned to the Climate Action Reserve Registry for its second crediting period.

• Destruction of Methane Gas
• Improves the local environment and reduces health risks by reducing the amount of noxious air pollution arising from the landfill.
• Generate electricity to the national power grid.
• Reduces the dependency on fossil fuel-generated electricity by using renewable energy.
• Short-term and long-term job opportunities
• Technology transfer of landfill management

• Working in a dangerous area of Mexico
• Sophisticated equipment and need to train personnel.