Improving waste management and air qualitySanta Marta landfill is an existing and operational landfill site. It is located 17 km south of Chile's capital Santiago and started its operation in 2002. The site is suitable for municipal solid waste management and it is one of the most important landfills in the region, serving a population of around 1,200,000 inhabitants in the southern communes of Santiago. The total surface of the landfill is 296 hectares and it receives about 130,000 tonnes of domiciliary solid waste per month.
The project activity saves carbon emissions by capturing the landfill gas and utilizing it for electricity generation, reaching a total installed capacity of 28MW by the year 2023. The project includes electrical substations and a transmission line of 3.2 km to connect to the Chilean Interconnected Central System.
The main social and environmental impacts of the project will be renewable energy generation, reduction greenhouse gases and generation of a positive effects on health in the area. Furthermore, it contributes to employment creation and environmental education.
How does gas recovery contribute to climate action?Methane is a greenhouse gas emitted by many processes including livestock farming, waste management, sewage treatment, oil production, and coal mining. When released into the atmosphere, it oxidises first to carbon monoxide and then to carbon dioxide, making it a major contributor to global warming. Climate projects avoid these emissions by capturing the gas and using it to generate heat or electricity, or by processing the gas into dry and liquid gas. In this way, the gas is not released into the atmosphere and is used to generate energy instead. Gas recovery projects in the ClimatePartner portfolio are registered with
international standards.
