Two thousand householders will soon be switching on to electricity produced from millions of tons of rubbish.

In the first project of its kind in the district, methane produced by the breakdown of waste at Sugden End tip, Cross Roads, near Keighley, is to be used to run an electricity generator.

The power produced is to be fed into the Yorkshire Electricity supply and will be enough to supply up to 2,000 homes.

At present the gas is burned off to prevent methane and carbon dioxide escaping into the atmosphere.

The scheme, expected to be operational early next year, is being set up by London-based Energy Developments Ltd which is at present carrying out tests.

Peter Goggin, EDL contracts manager, said: "At the moment the methane is being burned off and we are carrying out tests to balance the extraction system. The aim is to use the methane to run an engine which will drive something like an alternator and the electricity will be fed into the Yorkshire Electricity system.

"Under the regulations Yorkshire Electricity is obliged to supply a proportion of its electricity from renewable and non-fossil fuel sources and this is one of those sources."

His company will receive payment from Yorkshire Electricity for the supply and it also has a financial deal with Bradford Council which was the owner of the site.

Coun Keith Thompson, Bradford Council chairman of the waste management sub-committee, said: "This is an exciting project which has real, large-scale potential to turn some of the district's waste into power.

"The process will also help reduce the greenhouse effect on the atmosphere by extracting methane gas and recycling it as a useful power source. This is a great opportunity to start making use of landfill waste for the benefit of the whole community."

The scheme is not the first in the Yorkshire region but it is the first in the Bradford district.

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