CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Former state treasurer Tom Loehr, along with Charleston Mayor Danny Jones, announced plans Monday to build a small methane-fueled generating plant at the city's landfill. The plant would burn methane generated as a byproduct from the trash decomposing in the landfill.

"The methane now is going up into the air," Loehr said Monday. "Charleston is emitting about 4,000 tons of methane a year. We're going to capture the methane and turn it into electricity."

Loehr, an entrepreneur who runs companies called Fourth Venture Group and WeSave Inc. from his office on Capitol Street, said he has lined up private investors for the $3 million project, called Charleston Clean Energy LLC.

His group plans to install a 3-megawatt power plant at the landfill and build a system to collect methane. "You drill down and suck it out," he said.

The power would be fed though nearby power lines into the interstate grid, where it could be sold to those interested in "green" power, like that produced by windmills.

Loehr told City Council members about his project at their meeting Monday evening. Jones said he hopes council's Finance Committee will consider a resolution backing the plan so that council can pass it at its next meeting in early August.

University of Charleston President Ed Welch expressed interest in the project in a July 16 letter to Jones.

"The idea is to supply electricity to UC and turn them into a green university," Jones said. According to preliminary estimates, the plant would produce more than enough electricity to power the whole campus, Loehr said.

Welch, attending a conference in Chicago Monday, said he'd be interested in buying all the university's power from Loehr at the right price, even if it costs a bit more than Appalachian Power charges.

"We haven't had a final decision," Welch said. "If there's a small increment for what it means to be green and prevent harmful gases and make a positive statement, that's a price worth paying. If it means doubling the price and passing that along to our students, that might be too much.

"Greening is something that every institution has to consider," he said.

Welch said he heard a lot about sustainability issues at several recent conferences, so when Loehr called about a month ago to gauge his interest, he was ready to say yes.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Former state treasurer Tom Loehr, along with Charleston Mayor Danny Jones, announced plans Monday to build a small methane-fueled generating plant at the city's landfill. The plant would burn methane generated as a byproduct from the trash decomposing in the landfill.

"The methane now is going up into the air," Loehr said Monday. "Charleston is emitting about 4,000 tons of methane a year. We're going to capture the methane and turn it into electricity."

Loehr, an entrepreneur who runs companies called Fourth Venture Group and WeSave Inc. from his office on Capitol Street, said he has lined up private investors for the $3 million project, called Charleston Clean Energy LLC.

His group plans to install a 3-megawatt power plant at the landfill and build a system to collect methane. "You drill down and suck it out," he said.

The power would be fed though nearby power lines into the interstate grid, where it could be sold to those interested in "green" power, like that produced by windmills.

Loehr told City Council members about his project at their meeting Monday evening. Jones said he hopes council's Finance Committee will consider a resolution backing the plan so that council can pass it at its next meeting in early August.

University of Charleston President Ed Welch expressed interest in the project in a July 16 letter to Jones.

"The idea is to supply electricity to UC and turn them into a green university," Jones said. According to preliminary estimates, the plant would produce more than enough electricity to power the whole campus, Loehr said.

Welch, attending a conference in Chicago Monday, said he'd be interested in buying all the university's power from Loehr at the right price, even if it costs a bit more than Appalachian Power charges.

"We haven't had a final decision," Welch said. "If there's a small increment for what it means to be green and prevent harmful gases and make a positive statement, that's a price worth paying. If it means doubling the price and passing that along to our students, that might be too much.

"Greening is something that every institution has to consider," he said.

Welch said he heard a lot about sustainability issues at several recent conferences, so when Loehr called about a month ago to gauge his interest, he was ready to say yes.

"I told him I would be very interested and to sensitize the university in this. I'm interested in the educational aspect of this."

Loehr said he doesn't yet know how much he'll charge for power. "I have to talk to the engineers," he said.

The project would mean few permanent jobs, he said. "It's a self-contained plant. I hope to have it up and running in about a year. A lot of that is dictated by the regulatory process."

"If UC for some reason were not interested in buying the electricity, there are plenty of other entities who would buy it."

Cities across the country are adopting all sorts of green projects, said Jones, who admits to being a somewhat reluctant convert.

At a recent national convention of mayors in Miami, "that was all they talked about for three days," he said.

"I'd like to be the mayor to do this. We've been working on this for months. We're talked to Waste Management," which manages the landfill. "They're completely on board with this."

The city would receive a 12.5 percent royalty on all power sold, Loehr said. "Based on EPA estimates, the city revenues could be in the $50,000 to $100,000 range [per year]."

Councilman Cubert Smith said he and other members of council's Environment and Recycling Committee had heard the city landfill was too small to support a methane project.

Others said they'd heard the same thing but that economics may have changed, and praised Loehr for pursuing the project. Jones said Loehr, not the city, was taking on all the risk.

Charleston isn't involved for the dollars, Jones said. "But it's money. It pays for a cop or two, and it helps to make Charleston a green city."

Reach Jim Balow at ba...@wvgazette.com or 348-5102.