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Renewable Natural Gas Emerging as Serious Decarbonized Gas Contender
Last December, two giant Virginia-headquartered firms energy company Dominion Energy and food manufacturer Smithfield Foods announced completion of a novel renewable natural gas (RNG) facility in Milford, southwestern Utah. While the Milford facility is the first of four similar projects that Align Renewable Natural Gas a joint venture formed in November 2018 between Dominion and Smithfield is spearheading, it is just one of a string of new, notable developments that suggest RNG is quickly gaining ground as the energy transition unfolds.
(Credit: Smithfield Foods)
Smithfield Foods recently announced new commitments it will implement across its portfolio by 2030: to achieve consumer packaging that is 90% recyclable, reusable, or industrially compostable and to halve use of virgin petroleum-based plastic.
To meet these goals, the company has established an internal cross-functional team to investigate and explore new strategic packaging and plastic-use reduction options. Among the team’s current efforts is the identification and testing of replacements for products currently packaged using polystyrene (PS) trays.
Both the new recyclable packaging and plastic reduction goals build upon the company’s zero-waste-to-landfill initiative, which outlines a plan to reduce overall solid waste sent to landfills 75% by 2025 through utilizing or recycling materials once disposed of as garbage.
(Smithfield Foods/Biomass Magazine) Dominion Energy and Smithfield Foods Inc., announced on Dec. 9 they have completed the first renewable natural gas (RNG) project through their joint venture, Align Renewable Natural Gas. Located in Milford in southwestern Utah, the project is now producing RNG from a network of 26 family farms that raise hogs under contract with Smithfield.
The project is the first large-scale effort in the state to capture methane from hog farming operations and convert it into clean energy for homes, businesses and transportation. Significantly more greenhouse gas emissions are captured from the farms than are released when consumers use the gas, which makes RNG a “carbon-beneficial” energy source.
Smithfield Foods, Dominion Energy JV brings pig power to Utah | Bioenergy Insight Magazine bioenergy-news.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from bioenergy-news.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Align Renewable Natural Gas, Dominion Energy and Smithfield Foods, Inc., in partnership announced the final completion of the first renewable natural gas (RNG) project.