NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy and Clear Energy Group, as part of a joint project, launched a biogas power plant operating at a solid waste landfill in Velyki Hrybovychi in Lviv region on Saturday, the company said in a statement.

"Development of low-carbon businesses is a strategic choice of Naftogaz. The biogas power plant constructed here will make 38 hectares of the landfill site, emitting millions of cubic meters of harmful landfill gas, a source of energy for surrounding households," CEO of Naftogaz Ukrainy Yuriy Vitrenko said.

"The plant produces 2.645 million kWh per year, at that replacing more than 800,000 cubic meters of natural gas. It makes it possible to provide approximately 735 households with green energy and at the same time reduce CO2 emissions by about 30,000 tonnes per year," co-founder and chairperson of the supervisory board at Clear Energy Group Petro Bahriy said.

Vitrenko stressed that it is very important that even in the difficult wartime conditions, the company still continues to develop and implement such projects. "According to our calculations, thanks to this facility, more than 2 million cubic meters of methane, that is 30 times more harmful to the climate than carbon dioxide, will not be released into the atmosphere," he said.

According to the report, landfill gas is formed during anaerobic (i.e., without access to the air) decomposition of organic waste residues (food residues, leaves, branches, etc.). This gas is usually the reason of fires and explosions at landfills, but now this risk will be eliminated.

"The opening of this facility is the next stage in the landfill reclamation, the next stage in ensuring the environmental safety of the residents of Lviv and the region," Maksym Kozytsky, head of Lviv regional military administration, said.

The Mayor of Lviv, Andriy Sadovy, who also participated in the opening ceremony, recalled that the city is implementing the landfill reclamation project in Velyki Hrybovychi with the support of European banks. According to him, technical reclamation is currently underway, which includes the construction of a system for collecting, treating and utilizing landfill gas with the generation of electrical energy.

The plant is equipped with Austrian Jenbacher equipment used in biogas projects throughout Europe.

Biogas is collected by means of wells, evenly distributed on the landfill body, and a system of surface gas collection. As of today, there are 29 vertical and 4 horizontal wells drilled at this landfill. The wells are located vertically at the depth of 12.5 m. From each well, there is a pipeline (flowline) to the gas collection point.

From gas collection points, by means of pipelines, biogas is transported to electric generator installations. The gas is combusted in the engine, which rotates the electric generator. The generated electricity is transmitted to the grid by means of a complete transformer substation.

The cost of the project was not specified in the report.