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#CleanAirMonth: 5 Interesting Facts About Cox Enterprises’ New River Clean Energy Facility

May 23, 2017 11:30 AM ET

This year, Cox Enterprises announced the completion of the New River Energy Facility in Beckley, W. Va. The New River Energy Facility is part of the company’s Cox Conserves sustainability program, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary. The company seeks to send zero waste to landfill by 2024 and become carbon and water neutral by 2044. Since 2007, Cox Enterprises has invested more than $100 million in sustainability and conservation initiatives. Through these investments, the company has offset 82,000 tons of carbon, diverted 97,000 tons of waste from landfill and conserved 57 million gallons of water.

Here are five interesting facts about Cox Enterprises’ New River Clean Energy Facility:

  1. The facility captures landfill gas to generate energy and reduce methane emissions, which produces positive outcomes for the local community and the environment.

 

  1. The facility has the capacity to annually offset 14,200 tons of carbon and produce enough clean energy to power nearly 2,000 homes.

 

  1. The New River facility is part of Seven Islands Environmental Solutions, a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises that implements new technologies and programs to create a positive impact on the environment. Seven Islands has entered an agreement with Raleigh County Solid Waste Authority (RCSWA) to utilize the landfill gas for the beneficial purpose of energy generation rather than emitting it to the atmosphere.

 

  1. A system of wells captures the landfill gas generated by 2 million tons of waste buried at the site. Collected gas is cleaned, dried and compressed to fuel generators.

 

  1. 136 million tons of municipal solid waste finds its way to our nation’s landfills each year. With time, waste in landfills decomposes, releasing methane, carbon dioxide and other harmful greenhouse gases (GHGs). Landfill gas-to-energy facilities, like the New River Clean Energy plant in Beckley, filter and convert methane into a renewable energy source.

​Cox is utilizing multiple waste management technologies to make a positive impact on the environment. The company’s Golden Isles Conservation Center annually removes 80,000 tires from the waste stream, converts them to their original components and repurposes them for second life. Cox is also reducing its consumption of materials and has seven zero waste to landfill facilities across the nation.

To learn more about Cox Conserves and the company’s progress towards its social impact and sustainability goals, explore Cox Enterprises’ 2016 Corporate Social Responsibility Report at www.CoxCSRReport.com.