A methane gas compressor facility is being constructed on McIntyre Road. The installation of a 5-mile pipeline connecting the new facility to the Daviess County landfill is slated to begin next month.
The compressor facility will capture methane gas from the landfill and convert it for residential use. Judge-Executive Charlie Castlen said it is seen as a “waste” to burn the methane without using it, which is what is currently happening.
“The methane can be converted, cleaned, and used as natural gas just like we use it as natural gas to turn on our stoves, ovens, and furnaces,” Castlen said of the capability of the compressor facility.
After being cleaned, the natural gas will be pulled into the pipeline and likely unto the Atmos Energy line before being distributed to customers for residential use, Castlen said.
Castlen said some residents in the area claimed the County made the plans for the project without notifying the residents. However, he said that’s not close to accurate.
Catlen noted that Fiscal Court voted to approve an amendment to the gas project during an April meeting last year.
“Every one of our agendas are published in the news in advance. They are published on our website. The meetings are live-streamed on Facebook and our YouTube channel,” he said.
In addition, Castlen noted that the plan for this facility initially came up when he was a County Commissioner under former Judge-Executive Al Mattingly.
“This is something that has had news stories for years, going way back to [former Judge-Executive] Reid Haire, who talked about getting this methane to produce electricity or where it could be used for consumer purposes,” Castlen said.
With that amount of exposure, he said people had plenty of opportunities to learn about the plans before the prep work began on the land.
While there was some contention from a few of the residents, others are in support of the development. Chris McIntyre, lifelong resident of the neighborhood, said that he and other neighbors see the facility as widely beneficial.
“I don’t see a problem with it. It actually will help us a lot when we get hooked up to the line,” McIntyre said.
He said McIntyre Road is a largely family road, noting his grandfather built it and much of his family has lived there since. McIntyre said that he and his family have known about the development for several years and anticipated it starting.
Castlen said the construction is planned to begin this spring and is expected to take a year and a half, with the facility operating by late 2025.
