Published: December 10, 2024
Bartow, Fla. (Dec. 10, 2024) – Representatives from Polk County and Opal Fuels commemorated the operation of the Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) Facility, located at Polk County’s North Central Landfill, with a ribbon cutting ceremony yesterday.
Attendees included Board of County Commissioners Chair Rick Wilson, Vice Chair Martha Santiago, Commissioners Becky Troutman and Bill Braswell, as well as County Manager Bill Beasley and other county leaders. Representatives from the Central Florida Development Council, TECO Peoples Gas, Lakeland Electric and other partners also attended the event.
The facility reflects a successful public-private partnership between Polk County’s Solid Waste Division and Opal Fuels, which began developing about two years ago. As a result, the county’s residential waste haulers, FCC Environmental and GFL Environmental, now use compressed natural gas (CNG) sourced from the local pipeline, reducing their reliance on diesel. The RNG Plant is owned and operated by OPAL Fuels.
“Polk County is proud to be a partner in the process of turning landfill biogas into renewable natural gas.” said Rick Wilson. “Partnerships like this are doing great things for our residents, county and environment.”
Previously, per the Department of Environmental Protection Agency’s regulations, the landfill’s biogas was captured and flared on site. The renewable natural gas facility will greatly reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions.
The innovative $60 million facility began converting naturally occurring landfill biogas into renewable natural gas (RNG) in October. The renewable gas produced will power vehicles, homes and businesses, significantly reducing environmental impact.
Co-CEO of Opal Fuels, Jon Maurer, highlighted the milestone as a step forward in decarbonizing heavy-duty trucking and supporting the use of renewable energy.
“This partnership represents a model for municipal landfills across the state and beyond,” he said.’’