Meridian, Vision RNG celebrate RNG plant opening

Vision RNG (VRNG) and Meridian Waste, Charlotte, North Carolina, have celebrated the grand opening of what the companies say is the state of Missouri’s first landfill gas-to-renewable natural gas plant at Meridian’s Eagle Ridge Landfill in Bowling Green, Missouri.

“Not only does this partnership mark our first RNG offtake agreement in Missouri, but the first landfill gas to RNG project in the state,” US Energy Vice President of Business Development-RNG Bryan Nudelbacher says. “We’re seeing increased demand for RNG from the transportation and voluntary markets. The industry needs more projects like this to come online in new regions to help meet market demand. We commend Vision RNG and Meridian Waste on their investment in this LFG to RNG plant and are honored to have been selected as the gas offtake partner.”

This marks the culmination of efforts by the VRNG and Meridian Waste, which have developed a partnership over the past 18 months. The plant takes landfill gas (LFG) from the landfill, which would be otherwise flared, and converts it to a renewable energy resource. The renewable natural gas (RNG) is delivered to a nearby Panhandle Eastern pipeline and sold to energy company US Energy for distribution to its customers.

Conversion of LFG to RNG is one of just a few processes that offer significant energy and environmental benefits. LFG is composed of 50 percent methane (natural gas) and about 45 percent carbon dioxide. Because both are significant greenhouse gases, salvaging energy as RNG provides significant environmental benefits.

“I couldn’t be prouder of the VRNG team that worked tirelessly over the last several months to make this plant a reality,” VRNG CEO Bill Johnson says. “We especially want to recognize our partners at Meridian Waste and our off-take partner, US Energy. This is the first of more than a dozen such plants VRNG will be constructing and bringing online over the next 18-24 months, including two more with our partners at Meridian Waste.”

The plant processes about 1,500 standard cubic feet per minute of raw LFG and produces about 350,000 metric million British thermal units (mmBtu) per year of RNG. This is equivalent to producing more than 3 million gallons of gasoline. The RNG can be used in a variety of energy and environmentally beneficial ways including:

• as a transportation fuel in compressed natural gas-powered vehicles and other sustainable fuel uses;
• by industrial and other commercial companies as a substitute for natural gas;
• by customers to generate renewable electricity; and
• by customers to reduce their carbon footprint to meet sustainability goals.

“Few consider garbage a resource,” Meridian Waste Chief Marketing Officer Mary O’Brien said at the ribbon-cutting event at Eagle Ridge Landfill. “However, here at Meridian Waste, we believe in taking a less wasteful approach to garbage. We are honored to be Vision RNG’s first operating clean energy project through this state-of-the-art landfill gas to renewable natural gas plant behind me and to have US Energy deliver the environmentally beneficial fuel to multiple users to power their infrastructure needs.”