Thurston County to reuse waste gas for heating

A partnership of the cities of Lacey, Olympia and Tumwater, plus Thurston County, has approved a $2.6 million contract to install a cogeneration system that will supply about 11 percent of the heat and electricity for its new complex.

Officials tell The Olympian newspaper that the energy output will be 2.36 million kilowatt-hours — enough to power about 250 average-size homes.

Currently, the sewer utility simply burns off much of the methane.

The new system is expected to save the utility about $190,000 a year. It is expected to be operating in about 15 months.