Michigan set for new RNG development

Michigan utility company Consumers Energy said December 15 it signed an agreement with a dairy farm to use animal waste as a feedstock to produce renewable natural gas (RNG).

Consumers secured an agreement with Swisslane Farms, a dairy farm in the western part of the state’s lower peninsula, to build a biodigester facility that would convert manure into RNG. The utility company said that RNG is “interchangeable with conventional natural gas.”

The $17mn development envisions sequestering the methane emitted from the decomposition of the organic matter and running it through the biodigester for the eventual transmission through existing natural gas pipelines in the region.

Greg Salisbury, vice president for gas engineering and supply at the utility, said natural gas is part of a bridge to a clean energy future.

“We also expect the role of natural gas to evolve, and RNG provides exciting opportunities to help the environment and the economy,” he said.

This is the second such announcement on RNG for Michigan in as many days. New York-based RNG developer OPAL Fuels said earlier this week it formed a 50:50 joint venture with environmental services company GFL Renewables to develop two new production facilities in the United States. Partners there will utilise landfill gas as a feedstock.

One project in Michigan will yield pipeline-quality RNG and is touted as the largest such facility of its kind in the country, based on the expected volume of landfill gas. A second facility is planned for North Carolina. Both are expected to start commercial operations in 2023.

Pending regulatory approval, Consumers said it expects its RNG facility to also start production in 2023.

Consumers is the largest energy provider in Michigan by customer base.