Southwest Gas Corporation has officially confirmed the submission of a procurement agreement to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), an agreement focused on delivering renewable natural gas (RNG) at the disposal of California customers, and therefore, support the state’s goal of reducing emissions from short-lived climate pollutants.
According to certain reports, the stated development, which represents a coordinated effort between Southwest Gas, Anew Climate LLC, and Anaergia, Inc., a subsidiary SoCal Biomethane, LLC (SCB), arrives on the back of a competitive biomethane procurement process initiated by Southwest Gas.
Hence, if approved, Southwest’s proposal will effectively fulfill regulatory requirements under the CPUC’s Senate Bill (SB) 1440 Biomethane Procurement Program, which requires gas utilities to procure biomethane, and therefore, cut down on methane emissions.
“At Southwest Gas, we are committed to providing access to safe, affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy,” said Karen S. Haller, President and CEO of Southwest Gas Holdings. “Delivering RNG to our customers from innovative projects like this one, demonstrates our dedication to environmental stewardship, long-term energy solutions, and making a positive impact in the communities we serve.”
Talk about RNG procurement agreement on a slightly deeper level, it revolves around reducing emissions from natural gas for Southwest Gas’ California customers by up to 11,841 MTCO2e per year. For better understanding, the stated figure is, more or less, equivalent to emissions from 2,762 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles driven for one year.
On top of that, such an effort also goes the distance conceive a first-time opportunity for an actively producing project to qualify under the SB 1440 Biomethane Procurement Program and deliver RNG across California.
“Anaergia is committed to supporting California in achieving its ambitious methane reduction goals through innovative partnerships that serve communities with local and resilient infrastructure solutions,” said Yaniv Scherson, COO of Anaergia.
Markedly enough, under this agreement, the promised RNG is set to be produced at the SCB facility located at the Victor Valley Wastewater Reclamation Authority (VVWRA). Furthermore, it will be cleaned and upgraded to pipeline-quality natural gas before eventually getting injected into Southwest Gas’ California system for distribution to its customers.
In case you weren’t aware, VVWRA treats wastewater from several local communities, including Victorville, Apple Valley, and Hesperia. The upgraded anaerobic digestion facility, owned and operated by Anaergia, co-digests food waste and municipal wastewater solids to generate biogas.
Another detail worth a mention relates to how the underlying infrastructure here can seamlessly accept up to 65,000 gallons of slurried food waste daily, diverting an estimated 104,000 tons of organic waste per year. The project also provides economic benefits to the community, doing so by employing local part-time and full-time staff.
Making the whole proposition even better would be VVWRA’s track record of engaging with the community through educational outreach, facility tours, and a local Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) scholarship program.
“Long-term offtake agreements from natural gas utilities support local and state climate goals,” said Ryan Childress, Managing Director of Low Carbon Fuels at Anew Climate.
