North American RNG – 500 Facilities Within Sight In 2025
By Dylan Chase
The North American renewable natural gas (RNG) industry is set to surpass a major milestone in 2025, with over 500 facilities likely to be operational by year-end. This achievement comes on the heels of two record-breaking years, with the industry surpassing 300 facilities in 2023 and 400 in 2024.
Recent growth in RNG facilities has measurable economic impact. In December of 2024, global consultancy firm Guidehouse issued a report finding that the US RNG industry supported over 55,000 jobs and generated US$7.2 billion in gross domestic product in 2024.
RNG Coalition’s Sustainable Methane Abatement and Recycling Timeline (SMART) initiative is a benchmarking program that provides a roadmap for the industry’s expansion. Each new facility offers jobs in construction, engineering, and operations, as well as ongoing economic activity in rural and underserved communities. SMART has emphasized workforce development and equitable access to the opportunities created by the RNG industry.
Introduced in 2019, SMART outlined the following North American benchmarks:
- 500 operating methane-capture facilities by 2025
- 1000 operating facilities by 2030
- 5000 operating facilities by 2040
- 43,000 projects by 2050
As the industry prepares to surpass 500 facilities, it’s worth reflecting on what this milestone represents. Each facility is a testament to the ingenuity and determination of the people who make up the RNG sector. More importantly, each facility is a step toward a cleaner, more sustainable future. The SMART initiative has shown what’s possible when ambition meets action, and it serves as a model for other industries seeking to balance economic growth with environmental stewardship.
