Photos: Inside Anchorage landfill gas-power plant

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Exhaust stacks on the JBER Landfill Gas Waste to Energy Plant, adjacent to the Anchorage Municipal Landfill. The plant burns methane from the landfill, supplying about half of Ft. Richardson's energy needs. April 30, 2013

A new power plant fueled by methane from Anchorage's landfill supplies 25 percent of Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson's electricity. The $30 million plant built by Doyon Utilities, which is contracting with JBER, is exceeding expectations.

The plant is in the process of installing a fifth generator, an addition that wasn't expected for another five years. Instead, the plant was ready for the fifth generator after just eight months of operation because the Anchorage landfill produced more methane than expected.

READ MORE: New power plant expanding thanks to extra gas from Anchorage landfill