South Carolina Gets Its First RNG Project
Enerdyne Power Systems, a Landfill Group company based in Charlotte, South Carolina, commenced operation of a project collecting and upgrading landfill gas into pipeline-quality renewable natural gas (RNG) at the Twin Chimneys Landfill in Honea Path, South Carolina. A ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the start of commercial operations will be held in September.
The Twin Chimneys Power Producers (TCPP) project is the first RNG project to reach commercial operations in South Carolina. “We are excited to bring online this important project that is collecting methane that would otherwise be emitted at the landfill and converting it to clean, renewable fuel. RNG is an incredibly important source of low-carbon energy in the energy transition, and we’re proud to establish the precedent of being the first operating project in the state of South Carolina,” said Mike Fenton, director of sales and project delivery at The Landfill Group. “With a strong team from the Landfill Group companies and great support from our local government partners, we built a scalable project designed to provide reliability,” said Fenton.
Landfill gas, a natural byproduct of the decomposition process of waste, is collected at the Twin Chimneys Landfill and converted into RNG. The processed landfill gas is injected into the local natural gas system, which is owned and operated by the Greenwood Commissioners of Public Works (Greenwood CPW). According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the environmental benefits associated with this project at full build out will be equivalent to reducing the carbon dioxide emissions of more than 66 million gallons (250 million liters) of gasoline each year.
“The Twin Chimneys RNG project would not have been possible without the tremendous support and leadership of local government, notably Greenville County, Greenwood CPW, and the City of Greenville,” said William Brinker, managing director of the Landfill Group. “TCPP represents a multimillion-dollar investment in the region and the collaboration of local government leaders helps ensure this project will have significant positive impact on the community, both environmentally and economically.”
The Twin Chimneys project is Enerdyne’s second renewable energy project in Greenville County and follows the Enoree Landfill project, which has been operating since 2008. That project, which won the EPA’s 2008 Power Project of the Year award, uses landfill gas to fuel a generator, creating renewable electricity which serves customers of the local electric utility.
“We are excited to be a part of the first project to deliver RNG from a landfill to a local distribution pipeline in South Carolina,” said Jeff Meredith, general manager of Greenwood Commissioners of Public Works. “The project has been operational since late March 2023 and delivering stable and reliable gas into GCPW’s system. This project has truly been a collaborative effort between Greenville County, TCPP, and Greenwood CPW to make a positive impact on the environment and provide value to the customers we serve.”
US Energy, a provider of refined products, alternative fuels, and environmental credits, was selected as Twin Chimneys’ compliance and credit generation project partner. With more than 40 established RNG pathways with the EPA, the California Air Resources Board, and the Oregon Department of Quality, US Energy is managing the project’s participation in clean fuel programs — handling all registrations, reporting, and ongoing compliance requirements. They have worked within the renewable fuel standard the low-carbon fuel standard environmental commodity markets since their inception — transacting credits across all fuel types. In addition to their 40 RNG development projects, they have 50 compressed natural gas fueling stations, more than 100 RNG delivery points, and four thermal energy supply projects. “Seeing this project reach operational efficiency is a huge milestone for the RNG community,” said Bryan Nudelbacher, vice president of business development at US Energy. “There is a continued need for more RNG to come online. We’re thrilled to partner with Enerdyne on this project — helping supply end users with RNG while maximizing the project impact and return.”
The Landfill Group works in partnership with LS Power, a development, investment, and operating company focused on the power and energy infrastructure sectors, to jointly develop landfill gas-to-renewable natural gas projects throughout the United States. “LS Power is proud to support this project that is reducing greenhouse gas emissions while driving economic growth and broader decarbonization,” said Peter Anderson, senior vice president of private equity at LS Power. “Our partnership with The Landfill Group is part of our effort to accelerate the energy transition through the deployment and commercialization of clean energy technologies,” Anderson said.
