In the United States (US), Nicor Gas, a gas distribution company of Southern Company Gas, a wholly owned subsidiary of energy utility Southern Company, has celebrated the opening of its first renewable natural gas (RNG) interconnection with Air Liquide’s largest RNG facility in the world.
The plant converts biogas from a nearby landfill into energy through the utility’s first-ever RNG interconnection.
To mark this historic moment in Illinois’s clean energy future, the companies hosted an official ribbon-cutting ceremony, attended by company leaders, local and national elected officials, and community partners.
This interconnection is a significant step forward for Nicor Gas and Southern Company Gas on the path to a sustainable energy future for Illinois and facilitating economy-wide carbon reductions while fueling resiliency, energy security, and the growth of the clean energy economy, said Wendell Dallas, President and CEO of Nicor Gas.
The interconnection was established under Nicor Gas’s Renewable Gas Interconnection Pilot Program, approved by the Illinois Commerce Commission in 2021.
This is the utility’s first-ever interconnection of a biogas upgrading plant to the Nicor Gas delivery system, which went live June 12, 2024.
Landfill gas to RNG
Located in Rockford, Illinois, Air Liquide’s state-of-the-art plant uses biogas from the adjacent Winnebago Landfill operated by Waste Connections, Inc., to create RNG.
The plant is projected to produce approximately 1.3 million Metric Million British thermal units (MMBtu) per year, which is the estimated equivalent of replacing fossil gas with RNG in 12,000 homes annually.
RNG is a low-carbon intensity fuel produced from biogas derived from organic waste sources such as household waste in landfills, wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), and agriculture.
Instead of allowing it to be flared into the atmosphere, Air Liquide’s Winnebago facility captures it at the landfill and upgrades it into a pipeline-quality gas that is interchangeable with geologic natural gas.
In some cases, RNG is one of the only energy sources that can have a negative carbon intensity on a lifecycle basis, depending on the feedstock.
According to the company, its pipeline infrastructure is a “vital component” in enabling reduced emissions for entities purchasing and/or retiring the environmental attributes and delivering energy to end users, as well as encouraging RNG development.
The company will receive and retire 13,900 MMbtu annually of environmental attributes associated with this project, contributing directly to Nicor Gas’ reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from its operations.
