In the United States (US), Clean Energy Fuels Corporation (Clean Energy Fuels), one of the largest providers of fossil gas and renewable natural gas (RNG) for the transportation market, has announced it has broken ground on three RNG production facilities under its development agreement with Maas Energy Works Inc., one of the nation’s largest dairy digester developers.
According to a statement, these projects span six dairies located in South Dakota (SD), Georgia (GA), Florida (FL), and New Mexico (NM), and are expected to produce approximately three million gallons of RNG annually once fully operational.
Capturing methane from a combined herd of 24,300 dairy cows, preventing harmful emissions from entering the atmosphere, the RNG produced will be used to power heavy-duty trucking, transit, and vocational fleets nationwide – providing a reliable supply of negative-carbon fuel to Clean Energy Fuel’s network of over 600 stations.
Partnering with an industry leader like Maas Energy Works on these projects will enable us to quickly bring meaningful volumes of ultraclean fuel to the transportation market. We’re seeing rising demand for RNG from fleets looking to decarbonize, and breaking ground on these production facilities is a significant step forward in meeting that need, said Clay Corbus, SVP of Renewables at Clean Energy Fuels.
Cost-effective and efficient alternative
Maas Energy Works brings a unique approach to RNG production through its covered lagoon system.
Unlike traditional anaerobic digester tanks, which are more costly to build and operate, Maas Energy’s method involves capturing methane from manure stored in large, tarp-covered lagoon digesters.
This technique offers a cost-effective and efficient alternative for manure collection and RNG production.
Clean Energy has elected to move forward with three RNG projects with Maas Energy Works after finalizing diligence.
All demonstrating strong economic viability, the projects are forecasted to cost US$80 million and are on track for completion in 2026.
Clean Energy Fuels retains the right to develop the other remaining projects at a later date as market conditions and project economics evolve.
Agriculture accounts for nearly 10 percent of US greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and the transportation sector accounts for another 28 percent, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Capturing methane from farm waste lowers these emissions. RNG, produced by that captured methane and used as a transportation fuel, significantly lowers GHG emissions on a lifecycle basis when compared to diesel.
This allows RNG to be one of the few fuels to receive a negative carbon-intensity (CI) score based on the reduction of emissions at the source and at the vehicle.
