Vanguard Renewables, Weston, Massachusetts, today held a groundbreaking ceremony for its newest renewable natural gas project at the Moyer Family’s Oakmulgee Dairy Farm, in Amelia Court House, Virginia. The farm, owned by Larkin Moyer, a fourth-generation dairyman, along with his sons Brandon and Jeremy, is the oldest continuously operating family dairy in the commonwealth, Vanguard said.
“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 said. “We have embraced innovation as key to preserving our family farm. In addition to our partnership with Vanguard Renewables, we have a ground mount solar array that powers all our farms electrical needs, from robotic milkers to heating and cooling our barns, to further reduce our own carbon footprint. We are also proud members of Dairy Farmers of America, the largest dairy cooperative in the United States.”
The farm-powered anaerobic digester at Oakmulgee is expected to produce more than 259 billion BTU per year of renewable gas and divert more than 105,000 tons of food and beverage waste from landfill or incineration yearly. The digester will recycle organic materials into renewable gas that is upgraded on-site and injected into the nation’s existing pipeline infrastructure. The natural gas produced will go on to fuel AstraZeneca’s Maryland biopharmaceutical production facilities.
The project will be constructed and operated by Vanguard Renewables and is part of a recently announced joint venture between Vanguard Renewables and TotalEnergies, Courbevoie, France, a global integrated energy company, to develop, build and operate farm powered renewable natural gas projects across the U.S.
Vanguard Renewables, a portfolio company of Global Infrastructure Partners, New York, which is a part of BlackRock, New York, is a builder, owner and operator of organics-to-renewable natural gas facilities in the U.S. The company is expanding across the U.S. and currently has seven operational facilities and three under construction, and plans to begin construction on multiple additional sites by the end of the year.
“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,” said Neil Smith, CEO, Vanguard Renewables. “By converting inedible and unsalable food and beverage waste and dairy cow manure into renewable gas we are not only reducing greenhouse gas emissions and repurposing methane for good, but also creating a sustainable energy source that benefits both the environment and local communities.”
Marc de Lataillade, vice president, biogas at TotalEnergies, said the company’s joint venture with Vanguard has two projects under construction in Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Vanguard’s anaerobic digesters provide farm partners with a dedicated income stream from a 20-year land lease, the company said. The byproducts of the anaerobic digestion process are returned to the farm in the form of nutrient dense digestate used as biofertilizer and bedding for the farm’s herd.
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