Our renewable natural gas projects
We’re committed to helping the environment and supporting corporate sustainability goals. That’s why we offer expertise and assistance to customers and project developers who want to convert biogas into renewable natural gas.
Black Hills Energy Renewable Resources Acquires Iowa RNG Facility
In service as of Feb. 1, 2024
Black Hills Energy Renewable Resources, LLC (BHERR), has acquired a renewable natural gas (RNG) production facility in Dubuque, Iowa. The acquisition of the production facility at the Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid Waste Agency site includes the rights to RNG production at the landfill. The facility injects the biogas into the natural gas distribution system serving Dubuque, which is owned and operated by Black Hills Energy’s regulated natural gas utility in Iowa.
Partnership between
- Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid Waste Agency: Owns the landfill.
- Black Hills Energy Renewable Resources: Cleans the methane gas produced in the Dubuque landfill and converts it to RNG.
- Black Hills Energy: Quality tests and injects the biogas into the natural gas distribution system.
Lexington Renewable Energy
Northwest Natural and BioCarbN constructed a waste to energy facility in Lexington, Nebraska. The facility upgrades biogas generated from a Tyson Foods processing plant’s wastewater. Through purifying biogas, renewable natural gas (RNG) is produced and injected into the Black Hills Energy Nebraska Gas pipeline system. This project went into service in January of 2022.
Partnership between
Northwest Natural and BioCarbN: own and operate a RNG processing facility that can produce up to 1,000 MMBtu/day of pipeline quality RNG.
Black Hills Energy’s role
We quality test the RNG before allowing it into our system. As a part of this project, Black Hills Energy built a QA/QC gas testing skid and measurement equipment.
Marshall Ridge Renewable Energy
The Marshall Ridge Dairy farm is located in State Center, Iowa, with approximately 8,000 dairy cows. The manure collection system and gas processing facility captures the methane produced at Marshall Ridge Dairy and converts it into usable renewable natural gas capable of heating more than 2,700 homes annually. Developer Dynamic Renewables built the dairy anaerobic digester project with the financial backing of Clean Energy and BP.
This project represents Black Hills Energy’s first acceptance of RNG from a dairy biogas upgrading facility. Manure from the dairy generates biogas in three anaerobic digesters, which is then purified by Dynamic’s RNG facility. The pipeline quality RNG is injected into a Black Hills Iowa Gas compressor station and transmission pipeline system.
Partnership between
Clean Energy/BP and Dynamic Renewables: own and operate a dairy manure anaerobic digester and RNG upgrading facility capable of producing up to 750 MMBtu/day of pipeline quality RNG.
Black Hills Energy’s role
Black Hills Energy designed and constructed a RNG receipt point, including a QA/QC gas testing skid, a compressor station capable of achieving transmission pipeline pressures, and a 3.5-mile high-pressure pipeline system to connect to the commercial pipeline system.
Lincoln Water Resource Recovery
The City of Lincoln’s Water Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF) is a municipal wastewater treatment plant that recovers about 20 million gallons of water daily. Biogas from the WRRF was originally producing electricity but in 2017 City officials decided to invest in upgrading their system and start producing renewable natural gas (RNG) for transportation, including powering the growing fleet of StarTran transit buses.
Partnership between
- The City of Lincoln: owns and operates the WRRF, including the RNG purification equipment. Will produce up to 400 MMBtu per day of pipeline quality RNG
- Blue Source: markets the environmental attributes into the transportation markets (RINs and LCFS)
Black Hills Energy's role
We will quality test the RNG, then inject into our gas distribution system. Purchase “brown gas” (i.e. molecules of methane) for gas supply
Dubuque Iowa WRRC Project
City of Dubuque's Water Resource Recovery Center (WRRC): In-service as of Feb. 28, 2018
Partnership between
- City of Dubuque: owns WRRC and is receiving revenue from sale of biogas
- BioResources Development: processing raw biogas and creating approximately 200 Mcf/day of pipeline quality RNG
- N1 Energy: marketing RINs
Black Hills Energy's role
We will quality test, and then inject the renewable natural gas into our distribution system.
Sarpy County Landfill Gas Project
A municipal landfill southwest of Omaha, the Sarpy County Landfill has 1.3 million tons of waste on 160 acres that was closed in 2018.
Partnership between
- Sarpy County: originally collected and flared the landfill gas
- BioResources Development: processing raw landfill gas and creating approximately 1,000 Mcf/day of pipeline
- N1 Energy: markets RINs
Black Hills Energy's role
We will quality test, and then inject the renewable natural gas into our distribution system.
Butler County Landfill Gas Project
This is a large regional landfill near David City, Nebraska, that currently collects and delivers raw landfill gas to Constellation Energy's supplier. In-service as of Dec. 18, 2018
Black Hills Energy's role
- Built infrastructure to connect to our gas system
- Tests quality of renewable natural gas
- Injects 600 Mcf/day of renewable natural gas into our gas distribution system
- Provides gas for thermal oxidzer
Aria Energy's role
- Installed a landfill gas purification system to produce RNG meeting pipeline quality standards.
- Is selling the "brown gas" to Constellation Energy's supplier
- Is marketing the environmental attributes into the RIN market
