Government

‘Peaker’ plant being pitched for Southold Town landfill

The Cox Lane landfill in Cutchogue. (Cyndi Murray photo)
The Cox Lane landfill in Cutchogue. (Cyndi Murray photo)

Plans are in the works in Southold that could result in a 75-megawatt power generating facility being built at the town landfill.

A representative of Northville Industries of Melville, a petroleum storage and distribution company, introduced the proposal at the Town Board’s work session Tuesday morning.

The proposal calls for the installation of three 25-megawatt generators on a two-acre parcel of town-owned property at the Cox Lane landfill in Cutchogue. These could bring in roughly $1 million in revenue annually for Southold Town, according to Stephen Ripp, the company’s director of business development. The revenue would come from leasing the land once the facility is operational, he said.

The landfill was selected as an ideal location for the project because natural gas lines and transmission wires already exist on site.

“It is a good use of your existing infrastructure,” Mr. RIpp said.  “What you have is more than enough to support this size of a plant.”

The plant would run only on natural gas and operate during peak hours (also known as a “peaker” plant) he said, adding that the facility would likely not be used in the winter.

However, he said, exceptions could be made in emergency situations such as storm-related power outages.

Board members seemed optimistic about the project.

“This could have a benefit for all the people in the Town of Southold,” said Councilman Bill Ruland.

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