Vanguard Renewables breaks ground in Virginia

Vanguard Renewables has held a groundbreaking ceremony for its anaerobic digestion (AD) project at the Moyer family’s Oakmulgee Dairy Farm in Amelia Court House, Virginia.

The fourth-generation family farm is owned by Larkin Moyer along with his sons, Brandon and Jeremy, and “is the oldest continuously operating family dairy” in Virginia.

“We have not shied away from the advances made in the dairy industry, and today is proof of my family’s commitment to a greener future,” Moyer says.

The “Farm Powered” AD system at Oakmulgee Dairy Farm will produce more than 259,000 million British thermal units (MMBtu) per year of renewable natural gas (RNG) and divert more than 105,000 tons of food and beverage waste or byproducts from landfills annually, according to the firm.

Vanguard builds, owns and operates organics-to-renewable natural gas (RNG) facilities and is expanding in the United States beyond its seven operational facilities and three under construction. The firm plans to begin construction on multiple additional sites by the end of the year.

“We are pleased with Vanguard Renewables’ strong growth momentum and continued expansion throughout the U.S., including this latest RNG project formed through the company’s joint venture with TotalEnergies,” says Doug Vaccari, managing director of Global Infrastructure Partners, a fund that owns Vanguard Renewables and that is part of New York-based BlackRock.

The Virginia project will be constructed and operated by Vanguard Renewables and is part of a recently announced joint venture between Vanguard Renewables and global petrochemical firm TotalEnergies to develop, build and operate Farm Powered RNG projects in the United States.

“We are thrilled to partner with the Moyer family, who are truly building the farm of the future, to bring this transformative technology to life,” Vanguard Renewables CEO Neil H. Smith says. “By converting inedible and unsalable food and beverage waste and dairy cow manure into renewable gas, we are not only reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and repurposing methane for good, but also creating a sustainable energy source that benefits both the environment and local communities."

The AD system will convert organic materials into RNG that is upgraded on-site and injected into the nation’s existing pipeline infrastructure. The RNG produced at the site in Virginia will provide energy to biopharmaceutical production facilities in Maryland operated by AstraZeneca.

“This project in Virginia, and two others currently under construction in Wisconsin and Minnesota, are part of a promising potential pipeline of projects that will support TotalEnergies’ ambition to be a leader in the fast-growing renewable gas market,” says Marc de Lataillade, vice president at France-based TotalEnergies.

“Our innovative partnership with Vanguard Renewables in the U.S. exemplifies our commitment to large-scale collaboration to advance sustainable science and facilitate the transition to net-zero health care and a circular economy,” says Liz Chatwin, vice president at AstraZeneca.

Vanguard Renewables says its farm-based AD systems provide farm partners with a dedicated income stream from a 20-year-plus land lease.

“The byproducts of the AD process are returned to the farm in the form of low-carbon, nutrient dense digestate used as biofertilizer and bedding for the farm’s herd," the company says.

The Weston, Massachusetts-based firm plans to expand nationwide to more than 100 AD facilities by 2028.