SPOKANE, Wash. — Avista continues its commitment to sustainability with the signing of a new agreement with Pine Creek RNG to procure renewable natural gas (RNG) from the Quad Cities Landfill.
The Quad Cities Landfill is located in Milan, Illinois and is owned by Millennium Waste Incorporated, a subsidiary of Waste Connections.
Avista’s move comes after the company released a request for proposal in October 2022, seeking long-term RNG resources to meet the growing demand for environmentally friendly energy solutions.
RNG, derived from organic waste streams like landfills, wastewater treatment plants and food waste, prevents the release of methane into the atmosphere during decomposition. The captured methane is then purified to create a gas similar to conventional natural gas.
This latest contract marks Avista’s fourth collaboration with Pine Creek, following previous RNG projects at the Horn Rapids Landfill in Richland, Washington, Bayview Landfill in Elberta, Utah and the Black Hawk Landfill in Waterloo, Iowa.
“These RNG projects help Avista meet our aspirational goals to reduce natural gas emissions,” said Jason Thackston, Avista’s chief strategy and clean energy officer. “Additionally, legislative changes have laid the groundwork for utilities, such as Avista, to enter the RNG market as developers, long-term buyers and long-term partners to help grow and mature the RNG market in North America.”
The new project in Milan is anticipated to be completed by the end of 2024, producing an estimated 3 million therms of RNG annually. The combined output from all Pine Creek projects contracted with Avista is expected to reach 9.7 million therms annually, equivalent to the natural gas consumption of approximately 17,500 homes.
“This fourth offtake agreement marks another step forward in contributing towards Avista’s emission reduction goals,” said Kevin Orchard, Pine Creek’s vice president of development. “We look forward to building on the continued relationship with Avista as we further invest in our RNG strategy, which is focused on the vertical integration of our RNG into gas utility distribution systems and as a clean transportation fuel at Pine Creek fueling stations.”
As Avista and Pine Creek continue their commitment to sustainability, this collaboration stands as a testament to the energy industry’s ongoing efforts to embrace renewable solutions and reduce its carbon footprint.
