Southern Company Gas takes ownership methane recovery facility to produce RNG
Southern Company Gas has taken ownership of the Meadow Branch Landfill Methane Recovery Facility from its sister company PowerSecure.
The renewable natural gas facility in Athens, Tenn., will now be operated by Southern Company Gas Renewables, a new subsidiary of Southern Company Gas. The company is pursuing RNG as part of its goal to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and deliver clean and affordable fuel for customers.
“This is another important step toward realizing our vision for a sustainable energy future,” Southern Company Gas Chief Public and External Affairs Officer Bryan Batson said. “Developing RNG to sell to customers is a practical, cost-effective method for reducing GHG emissions.”
The Meadow Branch facility captures gas produced by the landfill and upgrades it to pipeline-quality gas that can be used by any natural gas appliance. In 2020, the facility produced 340,000 MMBtu of RNG, enough to serve about 3,400 homes for a year and avoided nearly 18,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide in a year.
“The experience we gain operating the Meadow Branch RNG plant will give us greater ability to develop utility-owned RNG facilities throughout our footprint, helping to enable each of our subsidiaries to meet state and regional climate goals,” Batson said. “We believe RNG offers an economical path forward for reducing emissions while supporting local development and job creation.”
RNG is a sustainable gas produced from naturally occurring methane emitted from sources such as landfill, agricultural, or food waste sites. In addition to lowering carbon emissions, RNG can reduce help solid waste, which is expected to grow nearly 70 percent by 2050. The American Gas Foundation estimated enough RNG could be produced to meet nearly all the residential natural gas demand in the United States.
