Reuters
The European Parliament on Wednesday backed EU rules labelling investments in gas and nuclear power plants as climate-friendly, throwing out an attempt to block the law that has exposed deep rifts between countries over how to fight climate change.
Bioenergy Insight
An innovative biogas-to-grid project has been celebrated at the New York City Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP’s) Newtown Creek Wastewater Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF) in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
DEP and National Grid were joined by New York City Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi, EPA Region 2 Administrator Lisa Garcia, elected officials and community members last week.
The project, a first of its kind, is producing a reliable source of clean, renewable energy, reducing the amount of organic waste sent to landfills, and is already improving air quality, according to NYC.
Press Release
In a first-of-its-kind collaboration, AstraZeneca (AZN) is partnering with Vanguard Renewables to enable the delivery of renewable natural gas (RNG) to all of its sites in the United States by the end of 2026.
From June 2023, AstraZeneca will begin purchasing RNG produced by Vanguard Renewables for its Newark Campus in Delaware, where the Company packages 26 medicines for distribution across the U.S. and makes medicine formulations for global supply. By 2026, this collaboration will enable as much as 650,000 million British thermal units (MMBtu), or 190,500 megawatt hours (MWh) per year, of RNG to be used across AstraZeneca’s U.S. sites, equivalent to the energy required to heat more than 17,800 U.S. homes for a year.
M-RETS
The I-REC Standard Foundation (“I-REC Standard”) is partnering with a new international consortium to develop a standardized tracking methodology for biomethane and biogas to support greater decarbonization through alternatives to natural gas. I-REC Standard and the new consortium (the “Consortium”) formed by Instituto Totum, M-RETS, and Evident have finalized a memorandum of understanding to develop a Product Code for biogas and biomethane (the “I-REC(G) Product Code”) that will adhere to the strict requirements of the I-REC Standard’s International Attribute Tracking Standard.
By WasteDive
How the EPA’s Renewable Fuel Standard program changes could be a boon for landfill and AD operators.
By DTN
LINCOLN, Neb. (DTN) — This past December, EPA proposed adding an electric-renewable identification numbers program, or e-RINS, to the Renewable Fuel Standard to grow biogas-based electricity production to help fuel electric vehicles. During a recent public hearing, environmentalists expressed concern the new program would lead to a proliferation of new confined animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, as more farmers try to capture the potential value of methane from increased manure production.
By Laurence Hammack
State regulators have approved a plan by Roanoke Gas Co. to convert biogas from a sewage treatment plant into natural gas for distribution to customers in the region.
In an order issued Monday, the State Corporation Commission found that the joint project with the Western Virginia Water Authority is in the public interest.
Gas Pathways
Canadian energy infrastructure company TC Energy said October 17 it had made its first foray into renewable natural gas (RNG) with a C$29.3mn (US$21.2mn) investment into an RNG facility at the iconic Jack Daniels Distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee.
Owned by Lynchburg Renewable Fuels, the facility will produce RNG with a carbon intensity score 50% lower than traditional natural gas, preventing about 16,000 mt/yr of CO2 emissions. The project is being developed by 3 Rivers Energy Partners, which is also an owner in Lynchburg Renewable Fuels, and is expected to be operational in 2024.
Feedstock is a byproduct of the Jack Daniels distilling process, broken down to generate methane gases. A biogas upgrade plant will remove contaminants to produce pipeline-quality RNG that will be directly connected to a local natural gas utility. Liquid fertiliser will also be produced for local agricultural markets.
Reuters
BP (BP.L) will buy U.S.-based renewable natural gas (RNG) producer Archaea Energy Inc (LFG.N) for about $4.1 billion, the companies said on Monday, as the British energy major seeks to expand its alternative fuels business.
The deal will be the largest ever RNG acquisition, topping Chevron Corp’s (CVX.N) $3.15 billion buyout of biodiesel maker Renewable Energy Group Inc earlier this year.
McKinsey Research
Clean hydrogen and related technologies can play a key role in decarbonizing many sectors, including medium- and heavy-duty transportation; industries such as ammonia and steel; heating applications; and power generation, including enabling long duration energy storage.