NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — Clean Energy Fuels Corp‘s. new Lake Norden, South Carolina, renewable natural gas (RNG) facility is now open.
All of the RNG produced at Drumgoon will be available at Clean Energy’s fueling infrastructure, according to a news release.
Clean Energy’s RNG sales into the transportation market for the first nine months of 2023 grew 17% over the same time period of 2022, and with customers such as UPS, Republic Services, LA Metro, Knight-Swift, Amazon and others, the demand for the ultra-clean fuel is expected to continue to expand in the years to come.
The 6,500-cow dairy farm is expecting to supply 1.66 million gallons of negative carbon-intensity RNG per year, according to the news release.
Construction on the project began in early December 2023 and connected to the interstate natural gas pipeline system of the RNG.
The RNG produced at Drumgoon will be virtually stored until all pathways for federal and state environmental credits are approved and a carbon-intensity score is assigned to the RNG, which is expected in the first half of 2024.
“Completion of the RNG project at Drumgoon Dairy, along with several others that are right behind it, is already making a contribution to controlling harmful greenhouse gas emissions,” said Clay Corbus, senior vice president of renewables at Clean Energy. “Being a multi-generational operation, Drumgoon’s owners are always thinking about the future, whether it’s bringing in the latest technology to better track and monitor their cows, or transforming their herd to antibiotic-free. Adding an RNG digester that captures the methane produced by Drumgoon’s cows and turning it into a clean fuel is the ultimate recycling project.”
The $38 million Drumgoon Dairy RNG project was financed through Clean Energy’s joint venture with BP.
It was then developed with Dynamic Renewables and is one of several RNG projects the three companies have partnered together in order to build and expand dairies in the Midwest.
Agriculture accounts for nearly 10% of U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the transportation sector accounts for another 28%, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Capturing methane from farm waste lowers these emissions. RNG, produced by captured methane and used as a transportation fuel, significantly lowers GHG emissions on a lifecycle basis when compared to diesel, the news release notes.
This allows RNG to be one of the only fuels to receive a negative carbon-intensity score based on the reduction of emissions at the source and at the vehicle.
Born and raised in Little Rock, AR, Erica N. Guy decided to stay in her hometown to begin her professional career in journalism. Since obtaining her bachelor’s degree from UAPB, Erica has professionally written for several publications about several topics ranging from lifestyle, tech, culture, and entertainment, just to name a few. Continuing her love for her hometown, she joined our team in June 2023, where she is currently a staff writer. Her career goals include continuing storytelling through her writing by being the best professional writer she can be. In her spare time, Erica enjoys trying new foods, cozying up with a good book, spending time with family and friends, and establishing herself as a future businesswoman.
