Enbridge and Vanguard Renewables announce RNG partnership

Vanguard Renewables, Wellesley, Massachusetts, and Enbridge Inc., a Canada-based energy infrastructure company, have announced a recent partnership where Enbridge will purchase upwards of 2 billion cubic feet (BCF) of renewable natural gas (RNG) from Vanguard’s growing network of anaerobic digesters.

According to a release, Vanguard plans to invest $200 million to develop the farm-powered digesters throughout the U.S. Northeast, Southeast, and Midwest. Enbridge will invest approximately $100 million in RNG upgrading equipment to convert the farm derived RNG into pipeline quality renewable natural gas and provide transportation and marketing services to market that gas to U.S. customers.

“We are proud to work with Enbridge to accelerate the development of transformational renewable energy projects on a nationwide scale and help combat climate change,” said John Hanselman, founder and CEO of Vanguard Renewables. “Our deep relationships with leading food manufacturers and retailers through the Farm Powered Strategic Alliance enable us to convert waste that is otherwise detrimental to our environment into a climate-friendly tool to help reduce the carbon footprint of our customers.

“Our partnership with a company the caliber and scale of Enbridge enables the seamless transmission of the RNG from our farm network to these ESG-conscious participants that are using RNG to decarbonize their thermal energy needs.”

Vanguard Renewables is a national leader in the development and operation of food and dairy waste-to-energy projects. In December 2020, Vanguard launched the Farm Powered Strategic Alliance alongside food industry leaders Dairy Farmers of America, Unilever, and Starbucks. The Alliance is committed to developing a circular solution for food waste reduction, recycling, and decarbonization of the manufacturing and supply chain.

The partnership is a step towards Vanguard’s goal to create a nationwide solution for sequestering methane by diverting food waste from landfills and incinerators to our network of farm-based anaerobic digesters. When released into the atmosphere, methane is approximately 40 times more effective at trapping solar radiation in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, making it one of the most powerful greenhouse gases.

By capturing methane and converting it into RNG, Enbridge and Vanguard expect to produce enough renewable energy to annually displace approximately 110,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, equivalent to removing nearly 25,000 fossil fuel powered cars from the road.

“Alongside the Farm Powered Strategic Alliance, our multi-year strategic partnership with Dairy Farmers of America and alliances with other dairy organizations demonstrate Vanguard Renewables’ commitment to working with the agricultural and food industries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. By working together, we are able to enhance the long-term operational and economic benefits for family farmers while benefiting the community and environment at large by converting harmful waste into renewable energy,” Hanselman added.