The Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas (RNG Coalition) has announced the addition of several new members, including East Coast gas and electricity provider Duke Energy and Western U.S. gas utility Southwest Gas. According to the group, a continuing surge in interest in the renewable natural gas industry and corresponding membership growth bring the North American renewable natural gas industry’s trade association to over 100 members.
“Renewable natural gas is a sustainable, clean-burning, and domestically abundant energy resource,” says Jose Esparza, Southwest Gas vice president of energy solutions. “Our infrastructure can play an integral role in safely bringing energy from dairies, landfills, and waste water treatment plants to the communities we serve.”
Founded in 1931, Southwest Gas provides natural gas service to more than 2 million customers in Arizona, California and Nevada.
“Duke Energy recognizes the promise of renewable natural gas as a part of its future energy mix,” says Travis Payne, Duke Energy business development manager. “In fact, a project under construction in Kenansville, N.C., will begin supplying RNG to our power plants in 2018.”
Duke Energy is one of the largest electric power holding companies in the U.S., providing electricity to approximately 7.4 million customers in the Carolinas, the Midwest and Florida. The company also delivers natural gas services to more than 1.5 million customers in Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and the Carolinas.
Duke Energy and Southwest Gas join a growing list of natural gas pipeline and utility companies, including Constellation, DTE Energy, National Grid, NW Natural, Southern California Gas Co., Southern Company Gas and Union Gas, which have joined the RNG Coalition to support North America’s renewable natural gas industry.
Additional new RNG Coalition members added in the fourth quarter include BioFERM, CenterPoint Energy Services, Chevron, Biogaz Congo, INGENCO, Nacelle Solutions, Rogue Environmental Industries, Stony Brook University, SudBiogas, The Energy Authority and University of California Riverside.
Founded in 2011, the RNG Coalition represents the renewable natural gas industry in North America, including companies that produce or otherwise support biogas-derived renewable natural gas, which is a domestic, low-carbon source of power, heat and fuel.
