California Public Utilities Commission approves SoCalGas dairy biomethane projects

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) recently approved Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) to begin the next phase of the construction of four new dairy biomethane projects in California.

SoCalGas recently signed contracts with the developers of the four projects for the construction of infrastructure that will connect each biomethane facility to the SoCalGas pipeline system.

When the projects are completed, anaerobic digesters at 35 dairies will collect and then clean biogas to produce pipeline-quality renewable natural gas (RNG).

The new projects represent four of six pilot projects in the San Joaquin and Sacramento Valleys that the CPUC, the Air Resources Board (CARB) and the Department of Food and Agriculture selected in December 2018.

Combined, the facilities will be able to produce enough RNG to fuel close to 40,000 homes annually. The facilities are targeted to be completed by December 2020.

SoCalGas has committed to displacing 20 percent of its traditional natural gas supply with RNG by 2030 and replacing 5 percent of the traditional gas supply with RNG by 2022.

“In the last year we began injecting RNG into the SoCalGas system through a project at an anaerobic digester in Perris and a dairy digester pipeline cluster in Pixley,” Sharon Tomkins, vice president of strategy and engagement for SoCalGas, said. “We look forward to bringing these four dairy biomethane projects online as we all work to help achieve California’s ambitious environmental goals.”

California requires 40 percent of methane from the state’s dairies and other waste sectors to be captured with provisions to deliver that energy to customers.