SoCalGas seeks to develop RNG facility from chipped wood and nut shells

In California, Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) has filed an application with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to support the development of a pilot project that would utilize organic waste such as chipped wood, along with nut shells, and turn it into renewable natural gas (RNG).

If approved, the project would be the largest RNG project in the state of California, producing up to 4.5 billion cubic feet of fuel each year from 400,000 to 500,000 tons of agricultural waste, some of which would otherwise be burned. It would more than double already historic deliveries of RNG in 2022 from existing projects within SoCalGas’s service territory and could deliver carbon-neutral or negative fuel equivalent to taking up to 52,000 gasoline vehicles off the road each year.

The project would be developed by San Joaquin Renewables LLC in the City of McFarland. Pursuant to CPUC direction, SoCalGas proposed funding its portion of the project – about $13 million – with cap-and-trade funds. If approved, which could come as soon as May 2024, the project is planned to come online in late 2026.