Fortistar’s portfolio company TruStar Energy, will market and deliver the produced RNG fuel
The facility's Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) credits will be sold to Chevron. (Credit: Jiří Fröhlich from Pixabay)
Fortistar and Paloma Dairy have started the construction on the Sunoma Renewable Biofuel Project, a dairy digester renewable natural gas (RNG) facility.
The new facility is expected to produce 1.6 million gasoline gallon equivalents (GGE) of vehicle fuel per annum, for the Class 8 trucking sector, which is adequate for traveling 10 million miles (16million km) freight.
Fortistar’s portfolio company TruStar Energy, is expected to market and deliver the RNG fuel.
The Sunoma Renewable Biofuel Project is expected to contribute to the community environmental benefits and cost savings for the fleets using the fuel.
Also, the project would create 50 construction jobs and six permanent positions in Gila Bend, Arizona, helping the local economy.
Fortistar president Mark Comora said: “This one project will help provide solutions for two important American industries. We are using our expertise to create new revenue streams for dairies while capturing methane and repurposing it to decarbonize the transportation sector.
“We are excited about partnering with the Van Hofwegen family on the Sunoma Renewable Biofuel Project to create the lowest carbon transportation fuel on the market.”
The biofuels project will be interconnected with Southwest Gas Company
Montrose Water and Sustainability Services, a division of Montrose Environmental Group, has completed the design and engineering for the project along with equipment procurement.
The company’s team would provide construction supervision, starting up and commissioning support for the project.
Industrial Services Company (ISC) is expected to lead the construction of the biofuels project.
The project is expected to be be interconnected with Southwest Gas Company, and the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) credits will be sold to Chevron under a long-term deal.
The Sunoma Renewable Biofuels Project is the third of 12 new Fortistar RNG projects that are expected to begin over the next year.
Paloma Dairy family business patriarch Robert Van Hofwegen said: “The decision was easy. We saw a great environmental and economic opportunity in the management of our manure and emissions.
“The key was finding a partner that could execute and unlock the potential value. We believe we found that partner in Fortistar and we look forward to working with them on this most exciting project.”