According to a report in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, Archaea Energy, a subsidiary of the BP oil and gas company has entered into a partnership with Republic Services to renewable natural gas plant in Fort Wayne. The project is a Lightning Renewable joint venture with an estimated $50 million dollar investment.
The plant at Republic’s National Serv-All Landfill (6354 Yone Road) will be the first in a series of 40 plants planned through the joint venture across the country. Archaea currently operates a similar plant in Medora, Indiana.
Representatives from the Archaea announced that the plant should be able to process landfill gas at of 6,400 cubic feet per minute. The plant leverages landfill gas, a potent greenhouse gas byproduct of waste decomposition.
Through a technological process, the facility converts this gas into RNG, a cleaner-burning alternative to traditional fossil fuels. According to the EPA, the Fort Wayne plant – the largest of Archaea’s modular design facilities in the state – boasts the capacity to convert enough landfill gas to heat over 25,000 homes annually.
The article quotes Archaea Energy CEO Starlee Sykes saying, “From the start, our focus has been opening plants safely and reliably, and demonstrating progress and growth. Continuing to build momentum with the Lightning Renewables (Joint Venture), the Fort Wayne plant is just the beginning of our incredible partnership with Republic Services to capture landfill emissions and provide customers with lower-emission, lower-carbon fuel.”
With the growing demand for RNG, both companies express confidence in their investment. Lightning Renewables currently has plans for another RNG plant at the Republic Services landfill in Pimento, Indiana.
Terre Haute Vice News 