Clean Energy Fuels Corp. has commenced construction on a renewable natural gas (RNG) production facility at South Fork Dairy in Dimmitt, Texas. This facility, located at a dairy farm housing 16,000 cows, will produce RNG, a clean transportation fuel derived from organic waste with a negative carbon intensity score.
The construction, including digesters and a processing plant, is estimated to cost around $85 million (€78.3 million) and is scheduled for completion in 2025. Once operational, the South Fork Dairy facility is expected to be one of the largest RNG production sites in the United States, producing approximately 2.6 million gallons of RNG annually. The RNG generated will be distributed through Clean Energy’s nationwide network of stations.
“We are excited to begin construction on the South Fork Texas project. Building anaerobic digesters at a large dairy like South Fork will help the dairy owner, Frank Brand, and his team collect and monetize sizeable amounts of manure waste while also benefiting from the environmental credits an RNG facility brings,” said Clay Corbus, senior vice president of renewables at Clean Energy.
Frank Brand, owner of South Fork Dairy, added, “The project not only helps us convert our waste into a clean, usable sustainable fuel, but it also helps us with managing manure which for a dairy of our size is quite a feat. We do this while simultaneously reducing our environmental footprint – it’s a direction I hope many other dairies will look to pursue.”