June 8, 2026. Vanguard Renewables, a leading environmental services company and producer of biomethane from organic waste, celebrated the groundbreaking of its newest anaerobic digestion facility in Litchfield, Minnesota, marking the continued expansion of the company’s footprint in the Midwest.
“We’re proud to expand access to organics recycling for food and beverage companies across the Midwest while helping meet growing demand for locally produced renewable energy in Minnesota,” said Mike O’Laughlin, CEO. “With a strong concentration of agricultural production, food manufacturing, and energy demand, the Midwest is a natural fit for continued investment as we expand our proven platform nationwide.”
The facility will process more than 300 tons of food and beverage waste per day, providing regional manufacturers, retailers, and distributors with a reliable way to divert material from landfills at a time when growing regulatory pressure and sustainability commitments are accelerating demand for scalable organics recycling. Through anaerobic digestion, that material will be converted into renewable natural gas and nutrient-rich fertilizer, creating a closed-loop system that connects waste diversion with local energy production and regenerative agriculture.
Once commissioned, the facility will produce approximately 270,000 MMBtu of renewable natural gas annually—enough to meet the energy needs of approximately 5,300 homes. The facility will interconnect to CenterPoint Energy’s distribution system, which serves approximately 950,000 customers across Minnesota.
The project is being developed through a joint venture with TotalEnergies, bringing together Vanguard Renewables’ expertise in organics recycling and biomethane production with TotalEnergies’ global energy development capabilities to accelerate the deployment of renewable natural gas infrastructure across the United States.