Chicken and Cow Champions – Chevron, bp Dive into Poultry Poop and Dairy Doodoo for RNG
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) A double doozy came in the news with Chevron expanding their JV partnership with Brightmark on their dairy biomethane renewable natural gas work together, and then bp and Clean Bay Renewables’ new 15-year agreement where bp will buy RNG processed from poultry litter and sell it as fuel for the U.S. transportation sector.
In today’s Digest, all about the poultry poop and dairy doodoo plans, what CleanBay Renewables, bp, Chevron, Brightmark, had to say about it, ExxonMobil’s take, what this all means, and more.
Poultry Poop Power
Let’s start with the bp, CleanBay Renewables RNG news since that’s a brand-new agreement and with more than 14 million tons of chicken litter produced each year in the United States alone, the feedstock is aplenty.
bp and CleanBay Renewables announced a 15-year agreement where bp will purchase renewable natural gas processed from poultry litter – a mixture of manure, feathers and bedding – and sell it as fuel for the US transportation sector.
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Dairy Doodoo
Ok, let’s take a look at the Chevron, Brightmark news about their second expansion of their previously announced joint venture, Brightmark RNG Holdings LLC, to own projects across the United States to produce and market dairy biomethane, a renewable natural gas.
Brightmark RNG Holdings LLC’s subsidiaries currently own RNG projects in New York, Michigan, Florida, South Dakota and Arizona. Additional equity investments by each company in the joint venture will fund construction of infrastructure and commercial operation of 10 dairy biomethane projects, including new sites in Iowa and Wisconsin and additional sites in Michigan and South Dakota. Chevron will purchase RNG produced from these projects and market the volumes for use in vehicles operating on compressed natural gas.
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ExxonMobil just announced its majority-owned affiliate, Imperial Oil Ltd., is moving forward with plans to produce renewable diesel at a new complex at its Strathcona refinery in Edmonton, Canada. When construction is complete, the refinery is expected to produce approximately 20,000 barrels per day of renewable diesel, which could reduce emissions in the Canadian transportation sector by about 3 million metric tons per year. The complex will utilize locally grown plant-based feedstock and hydrogen with carbon capture and storage (CCS) as part of the manufacturing process.
The renewable diesel production process will utilize blue hydrogen, which is produced from natural gas with carbon capture and storage. Approximately 500,000 metric tons of CO2 are expected to be captured each year utilizing CCS. The blue hydrogen and biofeedstock will be combined with a proprietary catalyst to produce premium low-carbon diesel fuel.
A final investment decision will be based on several factors, including government support and approvals, market conditions and economic competitiveness. Imperial will lead the project, which is expected to create about 600 direct construction jobs. Renewable diesel production is anticipated to start in 2024. READ MORE
Imperial Oil to produce renewable diesel at Strathcona refinery near Edmonton, Alberta (Biobased Diesel Daily/Imperial Oil)
Transcript: The Path Forward: The Future of Energy with Chevron Chair & CEO Michael Wirth (Washington Post)
