The Associated Press

LEXINGTON - The East Kentucky Power Cooperative has begun construction on three energy plants that use fumes from decaying garbage to create electricity.

The plants, which would burn methane and other landfill gases, would be firsts in Kentucky.

Each of the 5,000-square-foot plants in Boone, Laurel and Greenup counties will cost $4 million and generate 10 megawatts of power, enough to energize two cities the size of Shelbyville, according to the cooperative.

"We're exploring every avenue we can to reduce coal emissions," East Kentucky Power spokesman Kevin Osbourn said. "This is just another way of doing that. Plus, not only is it good for the environment, the cost compares very well."

Osbourn said the Boone County plant at the Bavarian Landfill will be finished first, likely in late summer. Plants at the Laurel Ridge Landfill in Laurel County and the Green Valley Landfill in Greenup County should be ready by September, he said.

Gases emitted by decaying trash are about 50 percent methane, the main ingredient in natural gas, according to the Environmental Protection Agency's Web site. The collection of those gases, which includes carbon dioxide, prevents it from escaping into the atmosphere and "contributing to local smog and global climate change," according to the EPA.

But converting landfill gas into electricity costs more than converting coal, which leads to slightly higher consumer costs. The co-op's EnviroWatts program charges customers an extra $2.75 a month for each block of 100 kilowatt hours of green energy they choose to buy.

"This is for the customer who wants to do something for the environment," Osbourn said.

The plants would use an underground well system to collect the gases, Osbourn said.

The co-op's program began in January 2002, after Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America Inc., requested green power from Owen Electric Cooperative for its quality lab in Erlanger.

"We think it has significant potential to grow, however it's probably always going to remain a niche," Osbourn said.