The U.S. company Clean Energy Fuels Corp. has announced the official commencement of operations at its East Valley Cattle renewable natural gas facility located in Jerome, Idaho. This project, developed in partnership with one of the nation's largest single-site dairy farms, is capable of processing over 5 million gallons of manure daily. It is projected to produce enough fuel annually to displace more than 100 million gallons of diesel, positioning it as one of the largest facilities of its kind in North America.
The dairy farm hosts a herd of over 35,000 cows. The project's core consists of six anaerobic digesters designed to capture methane released from the decomposition of manure. The facility utilizes a municipal-grade wastewater treatment system and advanced manure separation technology to convert organic waste into RNG that meets pipeline-quality standards. The resulting byproducts are then recycled into livestock bedding and agricultural fertilizer, creating a closed-loop resource cycle.
The RNG produced at this facility has a negative carbon intensity rating. This fuel is now being injected into the interstate natural gas pipeline system to provide clean power for transportation fleets across the country. A vice president of strategic development at Clean Energy stated that the project was highly challenging in terms of scale, technology, and system integration, achieving a "double renewable" outcome by simultaneously eliminating waste methane and displacing fossil natural gas.
During the first quarter of this year, the project recognized its initial revenue stream. It has also received approvals from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board, enabling it to generate fuel credits under both federal and state clean fuel programs. The project was funded through a joint venture between Clean Energy and BP.
According to U.S. EPA data, agriculture and transportation account for approximately 10% and 28% of the nation's greenhouse gas emissions, respectively. RNG is currently one of the very few fuels that can achieve a negative carbon intensity across its entire lifecycle, and its retail cost is significantly lower than that of diesel.