That is the newest installment in Waste Dive’s Biogas Month-to-month sequence.
A brand new administration brings new officers in control of federal insurance policies affecting the biofuels house, and early indicators level to a largely constructive atmosphere for the business.
U.S. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin was requested throughout his affirmation listening to if he would set well timed renewable quantity obligations below the Renewable Gasoline Normal, the coverage controlling federal incentives for renewable pure gasoline. Zeldin stated he would, and in addition stated he can be open to conversations about favorable insurance policies for creating sustainable aviation fuels as nicely, Biomass Journal first reported.
On Monday, the Senate additionally voted to verify Chris Wright, former chairman and CEO of Liberty Vitality, to steer the U.S. Division of Vitality. Liberty Vitality is an oil and gasoline firm primarily based in Colorado, although it did purchase an organization in 2023 that delivers compressed pure gasoline, RNG or hydrogen to distant clients.
Wright will likely be tasked with implementing President Donald Trump’s vitality coverage, which is concentrated on boosting oil and gasoline manufacturing. In his “Unleashing American Vitality” memo, issued on Jan. 20, Trump included biofuels among the many sorts of vitality manufacturing he’d wish to see improve.
There may be cuts to packages which have beforehand supported the biofuels business with the brand new administration.
Specialists stated Wright may pause funding from the Mortgage Packages Workplace, which ramped up its investments significantly in the course of the Biden administration. And the Rural Vitality for America Program workplace, which has financed tasks like dairy manure digesters, is on a checklist of packages whose funding was affected by Trump’s try and freeze massive swathes of federal funding. Judges in Rhode Island and Washington, D.C., have issued short-term restraining orders towards the administration to permit funds to proceed flowing for now.
Regardless of the adjustments in Washington, tasks proceed to develop all through the nation. Learn on for some RNG highlights from January.
Credit score pricing as of Feb. 3, 2025
D3 RIN costs: $2.433
Up from $2.420 in 2024
D5 RIN costs: $0.820
Up from $0.770 in 2024
$55
Worth per metric ton of carbon dioxide equal in Oregon’s Clear Fuels Program
$73.82
Worth per metric ton of carbon dioxide equal in California’s Low Carbon Gasoline Normal
Supply: EcoEngineers Carbon Market Snapshot, Feb. 3
WM units 2025 RNG projections
On the corporate’s earnings name on Jan. 30, WM Chief Sustainability Officer Tara Hemmer stated the corporate was planning to fee eight RNG tasks in 2025.
The corporate commissioned 4 amenities within the fourth quarter of the final yr, and expects RNG manufacturing to double from 2024 to 2025, in keeping with its newest earnings report. The corporate now has seven out of its objective of 20 new RNG amenities constructed. The corporate spent $507 million in capital expenditures on its RNG tasks final yr, and expects to spend about $420 million to $450 million on such tasks this yr.
WM does have extra landfill websites the place it may construct new biogas tasks, although the corporate remains to be evaluating these, Hemmer stated on the earnings name.
BerQ RNG secures $110M in Michigan bond financing
Non-public equity-backed BerQ RNG introduced the closing of $110 million in Strong Waste Amenities Restricted Obligation Income Bonds from the Michigan Strategic Fund on Jan. 27. The corporate stated it could use the funds to construct 4 dairy manure-to-RNG tasks in Michigan.
BerQ has beforehand commissioned a dairy mission in Western, Michigan, and introduced an settlement with Vivid Renewables for 4 tasks throughout Michigan and New York final yr.
BerQ operates in Canada and america, with workplaces in Ontario and Pennsylvania. It’s backed by Lotus Infrastructure Companions. Lotus is the funding platform that succeeded Starwood Vitality, which first invested in BerQ in 2021.
Waga, College of California collaborate on RNG
Waga Vitality will design, construct and function an RNG manufacturing facility on the Bena Landfill in Bakersfield, California, via a contract with Kern County. The College of California system plans to buy the RNG via a 20-year settlement, the corporate introduced.
That is Waga’s third mission in California and thirteenth within the U.S., the French firm reported. It predicts the power will produce a minimum of 550,000 mmBtus of RNG yearly.
Brightmark, Chevron collaboration achieves milestone
A three way partnership between Chevron and Brightmark has achieved gasoline supply at 10 RNG tasks throughout the Midwest, the entity introduced this month. Brightmark RNG Holdings owns and operates 15 RNG tasks within the area, in keeping with a launch.
The JV was first introduced in October 2020 to construct dairy RNG tasks. The partnership has expanded within the years since, constructing a sequence of tasks in Michigan, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Iowa and elsewhere.