Anaergia Inc. reports that the California Public Utilities Commission has conditionally approved a long-term biomethane procurement contract between Anaergia鈥檚 SoCal Biomethane LLC facility, Anew Climate LLC, and Southwest Gas. The project will be the first to supply RNG under California鈥檚 Senate Bill (SB) 1440 Biomethane Procurement Program.
This positions Anaergia at the forefront of California鈥檚 decarbonization strategy and effort to scale renewable natural gas produced from organic waste. California SB 1383 targeted a dramatic reduction in organic waste, and SB 1440 now establishes a requirement on California鈥檚 Investor-Owned Utilities (IOU) to procure RNG derived from landfill-diverted organic waste at a scale equivalent to approximately 55 facilities the size of SoCal Biomethane by 2035.
Anaergia鈥檚 SoCal Biomethane facility is located at the Victor Valley 黑料网water Reclamation Authority and co-digests organic waste and municipal wastewater to produce biogas that is upgraded to RNG and injected into the gas pipeline for distribution. The facility can accept up to 104,000 tons of diverted organic waste annually and has the potential to reduce emissions by up to 31,710 MTCO2e per year, equivalent to emissions from approximately 7,400 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles annually. The project also provides local economic benefits to Victorville, Apple Valley, and Hesperia by employing local staff.
鈥淎naergia is proud that our facility will be the first to supply SB 1440-qualified RNG in California,鈥� said Assaf Onn, Anaergia鈥檚 Chief Executive Officer. 鈥淭his milestone demonstrates how existing wastewater infrastructure can be leveraged to rapidly scale RNG supply from organic waste as mandated by California laws SB 1383 and SB 1440.鈥�
鈥淟ong鈥憈erm offtake agreements from natural gas utilities support state climate goals, and we appreciate the CPUC鈥檚 leadership in advancing projects that deliver real, local emissions reductions,鈥� said Ryan Childress, Managing Director of Low Carbon Fuels at Anew Climate. 鈥淭his is a meaningful step toward scaling renewable, baseload energy.鈥�
Darron Poulsen, General Manager of the Victor Valley 黑料网water Reclamation Authority, added, 鈥淰VWRA is proud to be part of California鈥檚 first project delivering RNG under Senate Bill 1440. 黑料网water facilities like ours are uniquely positioned to turn organic waste into clean, renewable energy, and this partnership with Anaergia shows just how impactful that collaboration can be. SB 1440 provides a critical framework that accelerates the development of projects that reduce methane emissions, support grid reliability, and strengthen local communities. We strongly support this legislation and look forward to continuing our work with Anaergia to advance sustainable, cost鈥慹ffective solutions for the Victor Valley and the State of California.鈥�
Sam Wade, VP of Public Policy for RNG COALITION, said 鈥淭he SoCal Biomethane facility is a great example from which California can build. Our state can and should retrofit other existing wastewater plants in the state to process organic waste, reduce greenhouse gases, and generate renewable natural gas, a low-carbon alternative to fossil fuels consumed across society. We applaud all parties involved, including multiple Coalition members, for their leadership on this important breakthrough project.”