Governements get more involved in driving efficient energy transition

By | 2018-04-20

Here’s an overview of key news in the biogas and renewable natural gas (RNG) sectors for the last two weeks. First, governments have been particularly active lately, taking actions to drive an efficient energy transition. In United Kingdom, California and the rest of United States, governements encourage RNG and biogas projects.  As California Energy Commission (CEC) approves a new biogas facility, Albany County and Saratoga County work together to make another project happen. Plus, big european companies in the industry have a continuous growth. Finally, reports show that biogas and RNG in United Kingdom and North America gain in importance in the energy industry.

 

KEY POINTS:

POLICIES & GOVERNMENTS ACTIONS

  • In the U.K., the new Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation came into force on April 15, requiring fuel companies to nearly triple the amount of renewable fuel they supply by 2032, introducing a new incentive for the production of fuels from waste, and bringing in new transportations sectors, such as aviation. The U.K. Renewable Energy Association noted the RTFO supports ethanol and biodiesel, as well as biomethane and renewable hydrogen.

Read more on Biomass Magazine

 

  • Today, the California Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities and Communications advanced a pro-renewable natural gas (RNG) bill sponsored by the Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas (RNG Coalition). S.B.1440, introduced by State Sen. Ben Hueso, would create additional market certainty for projects that use the state’s food waste, agricultural waste, landfill gas and wastewater resources to create RNG. The bill would do so by establishing an RNG procurement program for California’s natural gas utilities, the coalition explains. 

Read more on NGT News

 

  • The House Committee on Agriculture recently released H.R. 2, the 2018 Farm Bill, which has the potential to affect organic waste policy in multiple areas. 2018 Farm Bill would extend rural development grants and establish Food Waste Liaison.  The bill changes funding levels for some grants related to waste management programs in rural areas. As written, the bill would also establish a Food Loss and Waste Reduction Liaison within the office of the Secretary of Agriculture.

Read more on Waste Dive

 

  • The Trump administration will delay any moves to reform the nation’s biofuel policy for about three months, according to three sources briefed on the matter – a decision one of the sources said was meant to shield farmers worried about a potential trade war with China. The decision comes after President Donald Trump failed to broker a deal between Big Oil and Big Corn during meetings over months about the future of the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard – a law broadly supported in the U.S. heartland that requires oil refiners to add biofuels like ethanol to the nation’s gasoline.

Read more on Reuters

 

MUNICIPALITIES & CITIES

  • Albany County and Saratoga County will share a new anaerobic digester. Officials from Albany County, N.Y., and Saratoga County, N.Y., have announced the next steps of a plan to construct a $45 million organic waste facility after a successful feasibility study that took place last year. A joint anaerobic digester will accept waste from two Albany County plants as well as a sewer treatment plant from Saratoga County. County officials say the facility should save each county approximately $20 million over 20 years and also reduce sewer and water rates for residents of both counties.

Read more on Waste 360

 

  • The California Energy Commission (CEC) has given the green light to a facility that will turn biogas into renewable natural gas (RNG) for transportation. At a meeting on April 11, the CEC approved a $3.05 million grant for California Bioenergy LLC to construct the facility. California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) findings showed that the company’s proposed Kern Dairy Cluster Biomethane Upgrading Facility Project “presents no new significant or substantially more severe environmental impacts beyond those already considered and mitigated,” according to the CEC.

Read more on NGT News

 

COMPANIES & ORGANIZATIONS

  • Since the beginning of 2018, the Paris-based Air Liquide has commissioned three new biomethane production units, in the United States, in France, and in the United Kingdom. With these units, the company has doubled its biomethane production capacity, which now stands at 60 MW, the equivalent of 500 GWh for a full year of production. The new biomethane plant in Mississippi is the first large-scale unit built by Air Liquide in the United States. It purifies the biogas from household waste treatment sites and transforms it into biomethane.

Read more on Bioenergy Insight

 

  • Bio Collectors has won a £3 million10-year contract to transport and treat food waste from the West London Waste Authority and its constituent boroughs. The contract – which started on 1 April 2018 – sees Bio Collectors providing a recycling solution for kitchen food waste from WLWA which covers the boroughs of Brent, Ealing, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow and Richmond upon Thames. Further contracts for green waste and other food waste collections are still to be awarded by the Authority.

Read more on Let’s Recycle

 

NEW REPORTS & RESEARCHES

  • The Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas (RNG Coalition) announced the release today of a new map and project database of renewable natural gas (RNG) production facilities in North America. The refreshed database reveals that there are now at least 76 operational RNG facilities in the U.S. and Canada, representing 85% growth from the 41 projects that were built between 1982 and 2014. “Redeeming our organic waste-streams by converting them to renewable natural gas for productive end-use epitomizes sustainability,” said RNG Coalition CEO Johannes Escudero.

Read more on Coalition for Natural Renewable Gas

 

  • The UK’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has published its ‘Energy Trends’ data for 2017. Energy production was 0.4% higher in 2017 than the previous year, according to the government data. This modest rise was the result of increases in bioenergy, gas, wind, solar and hydro output. Coal output apparently hit a record low, while oil and nuclear’s contribution to the energy mix also fell. The overall share of renewables in electricity generation increased from 22% in the fourth quarter of 2016 to 30.2% in the fourth quarter of 2017.

Read more on Bioenergy Insight