In the United States (US) veteran impact investing company North Sky Capital, LLC (North Sky) and development, technology, and operations partner Anaergia Services, LLC, a subsidiary of Canada-headed biogas technology provider Anaergia Inc.,(Anaergia), has recently announced the construction start of a renewable natural gas (RNG) facility at the Victor Valley Wastewater Reclamation Authority (VVWRA), located in San Bernardino County, California (CA).
An error occurred
On your profile you can see what subscriptions you have access to and more information.
Is some of the information wrong – please contact our customer service.
Please reload the page
Do you want to read the whole article?
- Six editions per year
- Full access to all digital content
- The E-magazine Bioenergy international
- And more ...
The Public-Private Partnership (PPP) involving VVWRA, Anaergia, and North Sky demonstrates a replicable model to meet California organic waste recycling mandates and improve wastewater infrastructure resiliency: retrofitting anaerobic digestion (AD) infrastructure to convert organic waste and sludge into pipeline-quality biomethane aka renewable natural gas (RNG).
VVWRA is committed to protecting public health and the environment in the Victor Valley, and this partnership reflects our three core values: collaboration, dedication, and integrity, This project provides operational and capacity resiliency for the future of VVWRA by improving our infrastructure with greater operational flexibility and increased digester redundancy and capacity needed for future growth while benefiting the agency economically said VVWRA General Manager Darron Poulsen.
Triple biogas capacity
The project will utilize Anaergia’s “Omnivore” high solids anaerobic digestion (AD) retrofit to triple capacity and increase the redundancy of the existing digester infrastructure.
Sludge and food waste will be digested to generate biogas that will be conditioned and upgraded into pipeline-quality natural gas utilizing systems designed and supplied by Anaergia affiliates. Additionally, Anaergia will operate the gas upgrading facility.
The VVWRA facility is a great model for use in California: leveraging the existing wastewater treatment plant to meet organic waste recycling requirements, increasing yields of renewable energy, and improving publicly owned infrastructure. This partnership with North Sky boosts our capability to deliver organics recycling and energy resiliency projects at California wastewater plants while building a sustainable future for the surrounding communities, said Andrew Benedek, Chairman, and CEO of Anaergia.
Opportunity Zone project
The project is located in an Opportunity Zone created by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. California Opportunity Zones support new investments in environmental justice, sustainability, climate change, and affordable housing.
The project will prevent over 6 000 tonnes of methane (1.5 million carbon dioxide equivalent – CO2eq) per annum from being flared or released into the atmosphere and instead be used to displace more than two million (US) gallons (≈7.57 million litres) of diesel fuel per year.
Furthermore, the project is expected to create approximately 30 “prevailing wage” jobs via construction and related work.
The Victor Valley project is a result of the state of California’s steadfast commitment to clean fuels and the waste diversion requirements set forth in Senate Bill 1383. We look forward to our partnership with Anaergia, a market leader with deep experience in this sector, and with the VVWRA to build this sustainable infrastructure project. This investment is a good example of the type of impact investments North Sky has completed over the last two decades, said Adam Bernstein, Managing Director at North Sky Capital.
Founded in 2000, North Sky has raised approximately US$1.5 billion of commitments across its various strategies, including approximately US$1 billion across nine impact funds.
Three of North Sky’s impact funds focus on investing in the development, construction, and/or operations of sustainable infrastructure projects in North America.
