Nopetro breaks ground on Florida landfill gas project

Nopetro Renewables, a Miami-based developer and operator of renewable natural gas (RNG) projects, has broken ground on southern Florida’s first landfill gas-to-RNG facility.

The $40 million facility is being installed at a landfill in Vero Beach, Florida, now known as the Vero Beach Nopetro Eco District.

The company says when the plant starts operating it initially will produce 3 million gallons of RNG per year and prevent 30,000 metric tons of CO₂ emissions, equivalent to eliminating emissions from 4,300 passenger cars.

The project is expected to be completed early next year and Nopetro calls it the largest investment in Indian River County in the past three years, adding more than 40 local jobs through construction and operation. Vero Beach is the county seat of Indian River County.

“This facility marks a significant milestone for Nopetro and monumental step toward unlocking sustainable opportunities in Florida—and across North America—as we transform waste into a valuable energy resource,” Nopetro Energy CEO Jorge Herrera says.

“There’s no better time than the present to introduce creative, turnkey and smarter energy solutions to the Sunshine State as we strive for a bright future for our children and future generations. Congratulations to Indian River County on this achievement and for taking proactive steps to address our shared environmental concerns.”

The new facility will convert landfill gas into an RNG product Nopetro calls a fully interchangeable biogas and the lowest carbon alternative fuel.

After a purification process, the RNG will be pipeline ready and available to use as fuel for buses and trucks. Nopetro estimates the plant could provide as much as 80 percent of the natural gas used in Indian River County annually, offsetting fossil-based natural gas demand in the community.

“This facility is innovation at work, merging economic benefits and environmental benefits into one project,” Indian River County Commission Chair Susan Adams says.

Nopetro has partnered with Middleton, Wisconsin-based Mead & Hunt, an architectural, engineering, planning and construction services firm, to design and construct the facility.

“Through the execution of approximately 75 landfill gas-to-beneficial reuse projects across more than 25 states, Mead & Hunt’s team has a proven engineering, procurement and construction approach to renewable energy project delivery,” says Doug Tholo, energy project developer at Mead & Hunt.

In addition to operating RNG production facilities, Nopetro Renewables operates 15 renewable gas fueling facilities in Florida with plans for expansion. The RNG is compressed into CNG and is used to fuel transit and fleet operations.