A UK energy company has won a contract to deliver a landfill gas to energy plant in Ireland.

Based in Knowsley near Liverpool, Clarke Energy signed the agreement with Irish utility Bord na Mona for a 5.6MW plant – equivalent to powering 14,000 households – at the Drehid landfill site. The project will use landfill gas that originated from household waste to produce renewable energy.

Landfill gas is formed from the decomposition of organic waste materials and comprises mainly of methane and carbon dioxide. The biogas, if released into the atmosphere, is believed to be a potent greenhouse gas but if used in a gas engine, emissions are reduced and renewable electricity is produced – and also has the benefit of converting a waste material into fuel.

John Curley, General Manager of Clarke Energy in Ireland said: “This significant project will create up to 25 jobs during construction, in addition to sustained employment for operations.”

The company claims it has installed more than 2,600MW of low carbon generation capacity globally, of which over 833MW is renewable power.