Chile’s waste sector still has substantial untapped methane mitigation potential. Although the country has 38 engineered landfills, landfill-gas-to-energy remains uncommon, and many landfill areas remain outside active gas collection systems. The activity addresses that gap at the Loma Los Colorados Landfill, the country’s largest landfill, by installing a new, fully independent landfill gas collection system in non-serviced areas, together with a 3,000 Nm³/h high-temperature enclosed flare and two engine-generator sets with a combined capacity of 2.8 MW. The captured gas, which would otherwise be released into the atmosphere, will be destroyed or used as fuel for electricity generation, with net electricity exported to Chile’s grid.

The activity is being implemented by KDM Energía S.A., a Chilean company active in environmental services, integrated waste management, and renewable energy generation. MRV and comprehensive technical and consultancy support are provided by local partners whose role is central to the structuring, monitoring, and resulting delivery of ITMOs (Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes) of this Article 6.2 mitigation activity that operates under the bilateral climate agreement between Chile and Switzerland.

The activity is not financially viable on electricity revenues alone; carbon finance from the KliK Foundation is therefore essential and the main income source in the beginning years. The activity also goes beyond Chile’s regulatory minimums. Existing rules require landfill gas management for sanitary and safety purposes, while this activity targets additional methane capture in areas not otherwise covered. The activity will be technically and operationally independent from the existing Loma Los Colorados landfill gas project. It will have its own gas collection system, flare, generation units, and monitoring equipment.

The activity will deploy a new landfill gas collection and energy recovery system comprising more than 40 projected gas wells, an HDPE piping network, gas conditioning equipment, a 3,000 Nm3/h enclosed flare, and two INNIO Jenbacher J420 engine-generator sets with a total installed capacity of 2.8 MW. The activity will deliver important environmental and socioeconomic benefits by reducing methane emissions, increasing the supply of renewable baseload electricity and improving overall landfill gas collection efficiency. It will also generate direct employment during both the construction and operational phases, while supporting training and skills development for local staff.

In this way, the activity contributes to SDG 4 through capacity building and upskilling, SDG 7 through renewable energy generation, and SDG 8 through job creation and economic activity. More broadly, the activity can help mainstream landfill-gas-to-energy solutions in Chile, where deployment remains limited, and may encourage replication at other landfill sites beyond the legal minimum requirement for gas destruction.