More renewable natural gas will enter SoCalGas pipelines in 2021

14 billion cubic feet of renewable natural gas were introduced into the pipeline system operated by SoCalGas in 2018, contributing to an increase in the transportation of low-carbon fuels and facilitating further decarbonization.

Southern California Gas Co. announced today that in 2021, 14 billion cubic feet of renewable natural gas (RNG) produced from organic waste will be distributed through SoCalGas' pipeline system, the equivalent of removing 166,896 cars from the road each year. This is 2 billion cubic feet more than SoCalGas's 2020 distribution of 12 billion cubic feet. Furthermore, the utility completed five RNG interconnection projects in its service territory last year, including the San Joaquin Valley and San Bernardino County. There are now nine RNG projects linked to SoCalGas' system.

As part of SoCalGas' goal of achieving net zero GHG emissions in its operations and energy delivery by 2045, the utility plans to deliver 20% RNG to core customers by the end of 2030 and is making significant progress toward that goal.

"Thanks in part to the low carbon fuel standards program, SoCalGas' pipeline system transported more than 14 billion cubic feet of RNG last year, displacing more than 778,000 metric tons in carbon dioxide equivalent,"

said Jawaad Malik, SoCalGas' chief environmental officer.

"The establishment of a RNG procurement standard for gas utilities, such as the one proposed by the CPUC, could help build on the success of California's low carbon fuel standard and help bring more renewable natural gas onto our system, thereby accelerating California's decarbonization goals."

"These RNG projects are an important step toward assisting San Joaquin Valley residents and our Dairy industry partners in moving in the right direction,"

said Devon J. Mathis, a California Assembly member.

"RNG uses existing dairy manure and natural gas infrastructure to deliver a cleaner, carbon-negative fuel to trucks that would replace diesel trucks, reducing air pollution along the San Joaquin Valley's freeway corridors while creating jobs and revenue for our residents."

Anaergia, Inc. (Anaergia) completed one of the projects, which produces RNG from diverted landfill waste, in May at its Rialto Bioenergy Facility. Using Anaergia's advanced anaerobic digestion technology and proprietary systems, the facility can convert up to 300,000 tons per year of landfill-diverted organic waste and biosolids from municipal wastewater treatment facilities into fertilizer and up to 985,000 MMBTU per year of RNG. The RNG is fed into the SoCalGas pipeline.

"As a global leader in anaerobic digestion and organic waste upcycling, Anaergia has deployed more infrastructure capacity in California for converting food and wastewater biosolids than any other company,"

said Yaniv Scherson, Anaergia's chief operating officer.

"Our Rialto Bioenergy Facility, North America's largest landfill-diverted organics-to-RNG facility, will be critical in assisting California in cutting methane emissions from landfills under SB 1383, and serves as a model for efficiently converting organic waste into carbon-negative renewable fuel."

"The completion of this RNG project in Rialto is an important step toward meeting the state's climate and environmental goals,"

said Deborah Robertson, Mayor of Rialto.

"Because renewable natural gas (RNG) is a cleaner, carbon-negative fuel, this project has the potential to help reduce air pollution in the Inland Empire while also creating economic opportunities for our residents."

RNG production and use are increasing in California and across the country. There are currently over 245 RNG facilities in operation in the United States, with another 105 under construction and 118 planned. Furthermore, RNG use as a transportation fuel has increased 291 percent in the last five years, displacing nearly 7.5 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e).

SoCalGas released its ASPIRE 2045 SoCalGas Sustainability Strategy last month, outlining goals and benchmarks for environmental health, social equity, and community well-being in the communities it serves. To learn more about SoCalGas' commitment and the steps it will take to achieve it, visit their website.

Source: Sempra news