In service of global climate action imperatives and national emissions reduction targets, The National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (NGC) and its subsidiary companies are making pioneering advances into the green energy space. Among the latest projects being explored by The Group is the conversion of landfill gas into a commercially viable energy source.

Landfill gas (LFG) is a natural byproduct of the decomposition of organic material in landfills.

Landfill gas (LFG) is a natural byproduct of the decomposition of organic material in landfills. LFG is composed of roughly 50% methane (the primary component of natural gas), 50% carbon dioxide (CO2), and a small amount of non-methane organic compounds. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas 28 to 36 times more effective than CO2 at trapping heat in the atmosphere over a 100-year period. Capturing methane and putting it to productive use as an energy source is therefore a key strategy for combating global warming.

In this context, the NGC Group’s latest clean energy undertaking is a valuable one. On September 13th, 2021, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed among NGC, NGC CNG Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (NGC CNG), National Energy Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (National Energy), and the Trinidad and Tobago Solid Waste Management Company Limited (SWMCOL), to explore opportunities to capture and commercialise landfill gas for uses such as the provision of carbon-negative, renewable compressed natural gas.

Through this MOU, the Parties will identify and quantify landfill gas emissions for existing landfills, explore existing and new infrastructure requirements to facilitate transportation and commercialisation of extracted landfill gas volumes, and explore opportunities for utilisation of the derived renewable compressed natural gas as an alternative transportation fuel for vehicles. Specifically, the captured methane emissions can potentially be used to fuel SWMCOL’s fleet of vehicles and other official government fleets. It is expected that this initiative will contribute to Trinidad and Tobago’s energy transition journey and create new revenue streams for the country.

The NGC Group is committed to driving the local energy transformation to a zero-carbon energy future. This collaboration with SWMCOL is just one of several partnerships that The Group is embracing to address the rapidly changing energy and economic landscape and mitigate the threat of climate change. Now more than ever, renewable energy and energy efficiency initiatives are needed if we are to create a circular economy and achieve a sustainable energy future. Harnessing the power of landfill gas is a step in the right direction.