Four internal combustion engines fueled by methane gas from the Gwinnett

landfill will generate an additional four megawatts of renewable energy,

enough to power about 4,000 homes. Methane gas is present at all landfills

and must be burned off by a flare, whether or not power is generated.

"We are very excited to be moving forward on the last of the three

landfill generation sites announced at the formation of Green Power EMC," said

Michael Whiteside, Green Power and Coweta-Fayette EMC president.�"Our

work on this project is part of the cooperative commitment to provide our

members who are concerned about the environment with an opportunity to

support renewable energy alternatives."

Green Power EMC is a group of 16 member-owned electric cooperatives in

Georgia who have joined together, creating a nonprofit corporation, to

obtain and market cleaner energy sources within Georgia to its member EMCs.

Coweta-Fayette EMC members signing up for Green Power will pay an additional

charge each month of $4 per 150 kilowatt-hour block of electricity bought.

Members of Green Power EMC include Carroll EMC of Carrollton, Cobb EMC

of Marietta, Coweta-Fayette EMC of Newnan, Habersham EMC of Clarksville,

Irwin EMC of Ocilla, Jackson EMC of Jefferson, Lamar EMC of Barnsville,

Ocmulgee EMC of Eastman, Sawnee EMC of Cumming, Snapping Shoals EMC of

Covington, Tri-County EMC of Gray, Walton EMC of Monroe, Coastal Electric

Cooperative of Midway, Jefferson Energy Cooperative of Wrens, GreyStone

Power Corporation of Douglasville and Flint Energies of Reynolds. These

are all membership cooperatives in Georgia owned by the members they serve.

From the beginning of the project, Green Power EMC has worked closely

with the EPA, DOE and Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, requesting their

guidance throughout the process and securing their endorsement for the

Green Power EMC landfill projects.

"When completed next year, Green Power's total landfill gas project

will have the same environmental benefit as taking 67,146 cars off the

road, planting 90,738 acres of forest, reducing the use of 1,890 railroad

cars of coal, or eliminating 714,322 barrels of oil each year," said

Whiteside.