Brightmark, a global waste solutions provider, has broken ground on the Caballero Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) project, which includes the construction of new anaerobic digesters at Caballero Dairy Farms, an 8800 animal farm in Eloy, Arizona, US.

Upon completion of the project, the digesters are anticipated to generate 214 million Btu/d of renewable natural gas. The gas will be delivered into the El Paso Natural Gas Pipeline owned by Kinder Morgan. The project will be owned and operated by Brightmark RNG Holdings LLC, a Brightmark platform in partnership with Chevron U.S.A. Inc. Brightmark currently owns and operates 29 RNG projects in eight states.

Brightmark developed the project and now, through a joint venture with Chevron, will own and operate it once construction is complete, expected in the 1Q22. When fully operational, the benefits of the Caballero RNG project include reducing 33 000 tpy of greenhouse gas emissions, the equivalent of planting 43 000 acres of forest, and generating 73 400 million Btu/yr of renewable gas.

“Arizona leads the country in innovative farming technology – including the Caballero RNG Project, which will support dairy farmers, grow our economy, and fuel Arizona jobs,” said Arizona Senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema.

“We are excited to break ground on our first RNG project in Arizona as we expand our footprint and operate carbon negative projects across the US,” said Bob Powell, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Brightmark. “We look forward to partnering with Caballero Dairy Farms and see significant opportunities to continue to advance our mission of reimagining waste in communities across the US that can benefit from the new economic and environmental value our projects deliver.”

“We pride ourselves on being good stewards of the environment to ensure our natural resources are protected for current and future generations,” said Craig Caballero, owner of Caballero Dairy Farms. “By bringing this innovative technology to our farm, we are leading by example and showing how dairy farms across Arizona can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve water quality, and protect the environment, while generating new sources of revenue. We are proud to partner with Brightmark RNG to advance sustainable agriculture and energy production in Arizona.”

Anaerobic digestion systems can prevent significant quantities of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from being released into the atmosphere. Research shows that when all climate benefits are considered together, RNG from dairy manure can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 400% when it is used to replace traditional vehicle fuels through this net carbon-negative process. After the methane is extracted from the processed manure, the remaining soil nutrients will be returned to the farmers for use as fertilizer and water for forage crops for their cows. These partnerships will allow the farms to reduce land application of raw manure and improve odour, water quality, and nutrient management practices.