Duke Energy announced its investment in two projects to convert landfill gas from two North Carolina landfills into renewable natural gas (RNG). The two projects, named Foothills Renewables and Upper Piedmont Renewables, will be located in Caldwell County and Person County, respectively. Each project is projected to produce roughly 500,000 dekatherms (Dth) of RNG each year. Duke Energy estimates that the combined 1 million Dth is equivalent to the average annual natural gas usage of nearly 17,000 residential customers in North Carolina.
Both landfill projects are being developed by Evensol LLC, which develops and acquires renewable fuels-based assets in the biomass, biogas, and biofuels sectors. Energyneering Solutions LLC, which specializes in the design, construction, and operation of biogas utilization projects, will build and operate the facilities.
“We’re excited for the Foothills and Upper Piedmont projects to join our growing portfolio of RNG investments,” said Phillip Grigsby, Duke Energy’s senior vice president of ventures and business development. “Duke Energy is committed to supporting sustainable energy solutions. Not only will these projects bring more RNG into the market, they’ll also enhance sustainability in North Carolina, ultimately benefitting both the environment and energy customers.”
While some of the RNG produced by the two projects will be transported by infrastructure owned and operated by Duke Energy’s Piedmont Natural Gas unit, the RNG will be sold to third-party customers and will not be purchased or used by Duke Energy. The landfill projects are already under construction and are expected to be operational in the Q4 2022.
