Clean Energy Fuels and Maas Energy Works plan to build nine renewable natural gas (RNG) production facilities at dairy farms across seven states through a new joint-venture development agreement.
The new endeavor will include dairies located in Colorado, South Dakota, Georgia, Florida, Iowa, Nebraska, and New Mexico, and will collect the manure from a combined herd size of approximately 35,000 cows, preventing the methane emissions from entering the atmosphere, the companies reported.
The nine projects, each subject to finalizing diligence before beginning construction, are expected to be completed in 2026 and will produce up to an estimated 4 million gallons annually of ultra-clean RNG, a negative carbon-intensity transportation fuel that will make its way into Clean Energy’s nationwide network of RNG stations.
“This JV brings together expertise from a seasoned RNG developer and producer and Clean Energy’s extensive RNG distribution network and growing RNG customer base,” Clay Corbus, Clean Energy senior vice president, said in a news release. “We are excited to continue our long working relationship with the team at Maas Energy Works to get these facilities online and producing pipeline-quality RNG to help supply our transportation fleet customers with clean fuel to help them meet their sustainability goals.”
Maas Energy Works has completed over 60 dairy digester projects over the past decade. The team specializes in lagoon cover digesters, which involve a large tarp over a manure lagoon to capture the methane emissions. This process makes these facilities significantly less expensive to build and operate compared to tank digesters seen at other RNG plants, the partners maintained.
Financed by Clean Energy, the nine sites are forecasted to cost approximately $130 million in total.
“This joint venture is clear proof that family farms paired with private businesses are an unstopped force in achieving decarbonization,” Maas Energy Works CEO Daryl Maas said. “If the markets for renewable fuels are clear and consistent, then American’s biogas industry will deliver. We will soon be capturing fugitive manure emissions and turning them into carbon-negative truck fuel with our partners at Clean Energy.”