Natural gas utilities are ready to further ramp up RNG projects
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atural gas utilities are increasingly translating their mission for environmental stewardship into the development and supply of lower-carbon energy sources, renewable natural gas chief among them.
DTE Energy Co. announced that it has started construction on a new Wisconsin RNG project, joining seven other dairy-based RNG facilities already operating in the state.
The utility’s RNG portfolio also includes four landfill-based RNG facilities operating in Michigan, Ohio and Texas; a dairy-based RNG project in advanced development in New York; and a dairy-based RNG facility under construction in South Dakota, the utility said.
“The reduction of methane emissions has emerged as a critical component in the fight to combat global warming, as evidenced by the new Global Methane Pledge and President Biden’s methane reduction plan,” Kevin Dobson, director of operations at DTE Biomass Energy, told American Gas. “Scientific and environmental communities agree that we need to address both carbon dioxide and methane emissions simultaneously, and biomass, or RNG, is an immediate solution available today to do just that.”
In British Columbia, three new RNG suppliers are partnering with FortisBC to add about 800,000 gigajoules of RNG to FortisBC’s gas system, making 8,800 more homes carbon neutral. Three diverse sources are being utilized—food waste from EverGen’s Net Zero Waste Project in Abbotsford, agricultural waste from Faromor CNG Corp. in Ontario, and wastewater operations collected from Shell Energy North America Inc. in Iowa.
Adding RNG projects such as these keeps FortisBC on track to reduce customer emissions by 30% by 2030 and allows the utility to pursue a diversified pathway while still addressing greenhouse gas emissions, Scott Gramm, senior manager, renewable gas and low-carbon fuel development at FortisBC, told American Gas.
“A diversified pathway enables BC to have a more affordable and resilient system, and the province’s updated CleanBC Roadmap aligns with FortisBC’s vision of a lower-carbon future that relies on the gas and electric systems working together to benefit British Columbians,” he said.
Meanwhile, Chesapeake Utilities Corporation announced completion of a 33.1-mile pipeline project to transport RNG generated from the Noble Road Landfill, constructed by its subsidiary, Aspire Energy of Ohio. The utility also upgraded an existing compressor station and installed two new metering and regulation sites.
“At Chesapeake Utilities, we are focused on investing in renewable energy projects that address regional environmental issues. Capturing renewable gas from waste sources provides local waste management solutions in the communities we serve,” Jeff Householder, president and CEO of Chesapeake Utilities Corporation, told American Gas. “We are leveraging our Marlin CNG transport business and our local pipeline systems to provide a pathway to market and ensure the economic feasibility of biogas production facilities.”
The utility’s vision is to build a significant sustainable energy business, make a meaningful contribution to a lower-carbon future and provide solid returns for our shareholders, he said.