Six new projects further the state’s dairy-based biomethane production
SAN FRANCISCO—As further evidence of California’s commitment to increasing biomethane use throughout the state, three state entities are funding six pilot projects in the San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys to demonstrate the viability and advantages of collecting biomethane from dairy digesters and injecting it into natural gas pipelines.
The interagency committee that selected the projects included representatives from the California Public Utilities Commission, the California Air Resources Board and the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
Legislation adopted in 2016 requires California to reduce methane emissions from dairy and other livestock sectors by 40 percent by 2030. Emissions from dairy manure account for approximately 25 percent of the state’s overall methane emissions.
Forty-five dairies will participate in the pilot projects, which are expected to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from animal manure by putting dairy methane waste to beneficial use as a renewable transportation fuel. The six locations are in Tulare, Visalia, Buttonwillow, Merced, Lakeside and Willows, with developer involvement coming from California Bioenergy, Maas Energy Works and DVO Inc.
This is no small demonstration of biomethane’s potential in the state: The six projects will receive approximately $319 million in infrastructure investments and operation expenses over the next 20 years. CPUC Commissioner Clifford Rechtschaffen said, “These pilots will provide us with valuable information about the interconnection process and, hopefully, facilitate other biomethane projects.”