December 15, 2021. Consumers Energy announced an agreement with Swisslane Farms to build a biodigester facility that will convert agricultural waste into clean, renewable natural gas (RNG).
RNG is renewable fuel, interchangeable with conventional natural gas. Produced from organic wastes and other renewable sources, it can help heat Michigan homes, power stoves and dry grain for farmers. RNG is a key technology available to reduce methane emissions, a greenhouse gas more potent than carbon dioxide.
Swisslane Farms, located in Kent County, plans to provide manure from its dairy cows to the production facility, which means the manure would no longer be stored in open lagoons where it produces methane released to the atmosphere. Instead, the closed biodigester will contain the manure and capture the methane, clean and condition it, and place it in existing gas pipelines. This methane capture process is equivalent to removing about 4,000 gasoline vehicles from the road each year.
“This project is an exciting first step in a cleaner natural gas future for our customers,” said Greg Salisbury, Consumers Energy’s Vice President of Gas Engineering and Supply. “Michigan will need natural gas for years to come. We also expect the role of natural gas to evolve, and RNG provides exciting opportunities to help the environment and the economy. We’re proud to work with the agricultural community to lead Michigan’s clean energy transformation.”
The $17 million project, which requires regulatory approval, could start production in late 2023. Ultimately, the biodigester could produce enough RNG annually to heat nearly 1,000 homes on a cold winter day.