NW Natural, a subsidiary of NW Natural Holding Company, and BioCarbN, a developer and operator of environmental infrastructure projects, have begun production at their second renewable natural gas (RNG) facility. The Dakota City, Nebraska-based plant, which is part of an innovative project partnership with Tyson Foods, will convert methane captured from the facility into RNG to heat homes and businesses.
NW Natural has invested approximately $12 million (€10.8m) in the project, which is expected to produce about 240,000 MMBtu of RNG each year. This is enough to provide heat for more than 5,400 homes annually.
This project builds on the first project partnership between NW Natural, BioCarbN, and Tyson Foods, which began at Tyson's Lexington, Nebraska operations in January 2022. NW Natural is committed to procuring RNG equivalent to 5% of its Oregon sales volume in 2024 and 6% in 2025, as part of the company's voluntary targets. These investments are made possible through the landmark RNG law, Oregon Senate Bill 98, which supports renewable energy procurement and investment by natural gas utilities.
David H. Anderson, NW Natural President and CEO, said: “Each project like this contributes meaningful carbon reductions on behalf of our customers and moves us toward achieving our shared climate goals. We're aggressively pursuing additional opportunities, so we can increase our use of renewables over time.”
BioCarbN and Miron Construction Co. are the partners for these projects, while pipeline interconnections with local gas distribution systems, MidAmerican Energy in Dakota City and Black Hills Energy in Lexington, make them possible. These projects represent a significant step forward in the development of renewable energy infrastructure in the US.
