Pacific Ag Renewables Advances Sunnyside RNG project

Oregon-based Pacific Ag Renewables on January 29 announced the progression of its Sunnyside renewable natural gas (RNG) facility after completing the Washington State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) process. 

The SEPA process, a comprehensive environmental assessment, involved collaboration with regulatory bodies and stakeholders, including the Washington State Department of Ecology, the City of Sunnyside, and the local community. 

The Sunnyside RNG facility, situated on approximately 50 acres within the Port of Sunnyside Industrial Park, is poised to produce around 900,000mn Btu/year of RNG. This output is equivalent to powering roughly 90,000 homes. 

Commencing groundbreaking in the second quarter of 2024, Pacific Ag Renewables aims to initiate RNG production by mid-2025. The facility will primarily utilise agricultural crop waste and dairy manure from local farmers as feedstock. This biomass will undergo anaerobic digestion, capturing methane that will be conditioned and upgraded before injection into the interstate natural gas pipeline.

A byproduct of this process is an organic fertilizer, offering an environmentally friendly alternative to synthetic, petroleum-based fertilizers commonly used in the region, the company said.