FARMINGTON — Next winter's cold weather will be tempered on Hill Air Force Base by heat and power produced from methane gas, piped from the nearby Wasatch Energy Systems landfill about a mile to the east.

The administrative board for Wasatch Energy approved a contract Wednesday night allowing construction on a 3,000-foot pipeline from the landfill to Hill's fence line. Hill will build a 4,000-foot pipeline on the base and also install generators to produce electricity as well as burn the gas produced by the landfill for heat.

Hill Air Force Base and Wasatch Energy officials will break ground Friday morning for the project's electrical generation station. Hill officials said the project will save the base about $600,000 a year in fuel costs. Capital funding for the project is from the private sector and will not require government funding.

The project is the first of its kind to be built on an Air Force installation and is the first time landfill gas will be used to generate electricity in Utah.

Two members of the Wasatch Energy board, Centerville Mayor Michael Deamer and North Salt Lake Mayor Kay Briggs, both voted against the project, saying it was a "marginal business deal." Both asked how the district would be affected if Hill is closed in the next round of base closures.

"I hope we can apply sound business decisions," Deamer said, saying he didn't like the district's risk considering the payback period would be 10-12 years. "Since we're in such a sound financial position, I'd like to see some of our money rebated to citizens in our communities." He suggested homeowners receive a one-time payment of $10 per garbage can.

Board Chairman Jerry Stevenson, Layton's mayor, said Deamer's proposal should be considered during the district's budgeting process.

Briggs said that while he thinks the sale of gas to Hill is marginal, he likes the idea of using landfill gas to produce electricity and heat rather than seeing it flared off, as is done now.

Wasatch Energy executive director Nathan Rich said not only does the project reduce greenhouse gases, it provides a significant income source for the district.

The district's 175-foot-high landfill produces 750 cubic feet of gas per minute, about 50 percent methane, and has about half the energy content of natural gas, Rich said. Even with its lower energy content, it represents about 2 megawatts of power worth some $200 per hour.

Rich said work will begin soon on the project, when all of the right-of-way accesses are obtained, and should be completed by next August. Even if Hill is closed in a few years, the district would still have its pipeline and compressor and could probably buy the electrical generator from the government and make electricity to sell.

"That's our backup position," Rich said.

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