Brightmark launches Eloy RNG center in Arizona

Brightmark RNG Holdings on April 10 announced the inauguration of its Eloy renewable natural gas (RNG) center in Arizona. Utilising anaerobic digestion technology, the Eloy facility will convert dairy manure into RNG. 

Anaerobic digestion is a circular technology that captures animal manure from partner sites and converts it into RNG, fertilizer, and water. These products are then recycled back into agricultural and energy systems for reuse.

Brightmark RNG Holdings is a joint venture between Chevron USA and Brightmark Fund Holdings. The Chevron-Brightmark renewable natural gas joint venture operates a nationwide system of RNG projects, capturing methane from dairy operations for use as pipeline fuel.

"We are pleased with the adoption of anaerobic digestion by dairy farmers in the Southwest, a region overlooked in the past," said Bob Powell CEO of Brightmark. "The Eloy circularity center's beauty resides in its use of technology based on ambient temperature with the Arizona heat. It presents an excellent opportunity for RNG to be generated in higher amounts, promoting lower-carbon intensity solutions.” 

The Eloy RNG project promises substantial environmental and economic benefits for the Southwest region, the company said. By harnessing solar heating for farm lagoons, it aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The processed manure is expected to have an environmental impact equivalent to planting over 37,000 acres of forest annually. 

The Eloy RNG project is the joint venture's first initiative in the Southwest, but it has also delivered RNG from its Larson project in Florida and expanded its RNG projects in Michigan.