Synthica Energy to develop RNG facility in San Antonio

Synthica Energy LLC, San Antonio, has announced the development of a new anaerobic digestion facility in northeast San Antonio. The facility will focus on converting organic byproducts from food and beverage producers into renewable natural gas (RNG).  

According to a news release, Synthica’s facility is being developed at an industrial site located along IH 35 to ensure easy access to manufacturers in the region along with rail access. The project is expected to be completed in late 2024 and will produce about 250,000 metric million British units of carbon-negative RNG annually and process 200,000 tons of food waste annually.  

“San Antonio, as a major food production hub in Texas, makes perfect sense as a location for our food waste-focused renewable natural gas facilities,” says Sam Schutte, Synthica Energy CEO. “An upward of 30 percent of the materials currently going into local landfills have an energy potential that is currently wasted. Using our Urban Friendly Digestion model, we can process that material safely and cleanly into an untapped energy source. We are pleased to join the San Antonio manufacturing community in its efforts to achieve carbon neutrality in the coming years.”  

The company says the facility, along with a recently announced facility in Houston, will be the largest anaerobic digestion facility of its kind in the state. They are part of Synthica’s expansion plan to scale its model to target markets in the next five years. Engineering and design for the facility are being performed by RETTEW, an anaerobic digestion engineering consultant based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  

“We’re proud to welcome Synthica and the 50 new jobs they plan to add to support their new facility in San Antonio,” says Tom Long, managing director at greater: SATX Regional Economic Partnership. “Synthica is making a smart investment here in our region where they can work in partnership with our robust food and beverage manufacturing cluster to turn waste into energy.”