Republic Services, Archaea Joint Venture Is a Leap Forward For Renewable Natural Gas
Republic Services, one of the largest waste-disposal companies in the U.S., on May 5 announced a major deal that will expand its renewable natural gas business. Partnering with Houston-based RNG producer Archaea Energy, Republic will mount a $1.1 billion joint venture to develop projects at 39 of its landfills in 19 different states. Once up and running, the 39 projects are expected to generate more than 12.5 million MMBtu of RNG each year.
Republic Services CEO Jon Vander Ark said the joint venture’s portfolio will include capturing RNG from smaller landfills that would have normally been disposed of by flaring instead. “By bidding out the 39 landfills, there are projects in there that are relatively small that we probably wouldn’t do independently. To take that resource and rather than try to dispose of it through flaring, being able to reuse it is a big part of our sustainability story. It’s a big part of our plan to get to net-zero emissions.”