OPAL opens landfill gas to renewable natural gas facility

OPAL Fuels Inc. has opened Florida’s first landfill gas to RNG facility

Florida’s first landfill gas to renewable natural gas (RNG) facility is fully operational, OPAL Fuels Inc. announced.

The site, located at the New River Solid Waste Association (NRSWA) municipal solid waste landfill in Raiford, Fla., captures naturally occurring biogas from the landfill and refines it into usable low-carbon fuel in the form of RNG. In a press release, OPAL Fuels said RNG is an immediate solution to the urgent problem of climate change and is one of the most attractive sources of renewable energy.

The NRSWA facility has a nameplate capacity of 2500 standard cu. ft./min. (SCFM) of methane, which would result in approximately 5 million gasoline gallon equivalent (GGE) of RNG annually once processed, according to OPAL Fuels. The RNG produced from this facility would avoid greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions equal to achieving zero Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions from more than 380 heavy-duty trucks annually.

“Through our vertical integration model, from production through distribution, OPAL Fuels is committed to providing our customers with cost-effective, reliable transportation fuel that results in zero Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions,” said Adam Comora, Co-CEO of OPAL Fuels. “We are pleased to partner with local stakeholders across Florida and to have brought the state its first RNG project.”

OPAL Fuels, the New York-based RNG producer and distributor with more than 350 facilities nationwide, will use the RNG refined at the NRSWA facility to supply the company’s transportation customers via Peoples Gas, Florida’s largest natural gas distribution utility, which serves more than 445,000 homes and businesses in the state.

“Working together with NRSWA, this facility produces new revenue streams, new jobs for the county, and provides cost savings for our customers – enabling companies to achieve net zero now at a discount,” Comora said. “It also reduces greenhouse gas emissions locally and for the planet. This is a win for everyone.”

The NRSWA municipal solid waste landfill is a publicly owned facility formed as an association of Baker, Bradford and Union counties in Florida.

The process of refining the biogas from the NRSWA landfill will also ensure reductions in local GHG emissions: According to OPAL Fuels, the area could see decreases in emissions of carbon dioxide (by 95%), nitrogen oxide (90%), carbon monoxide (90%) and sulfur oxide (98%).

“NRSWA is excited about partnering with OPAL Fuels on this important and industry-leading project,” said Perry Kent, executive director of NRSWA. “[NRSWA] has always worked to manage solid waste in a sustainable way and to be good stewards of the environment. This project is one more step toward [NRSWA] becoming a fully sustainable solid waste treatment facility.”