Chesapeake Utilities Completes Florida RNG Project

Chesapeake Utilities Corp. has fully completed a renewable natural gas (RNG) facility in Madison County, Florida, which had already started production last June.

The $22 million project, located at Full Circle Dairy (FCD), uses manure to produce pipeline-quality gas with an annual capacity of 100,000 dekatherms, Dover, Delaware-based Chesapeake Utilities said in a statement. It is the company’s first RNG project, with three more approved by the state.

“The facility began producing RNG in June 2024 and is expected to capture and redirect more than 1,100 metric tons of methane per year into a renewable energy source — an emission reduction equivalent to powering 3,500 homes for a year”, said the statement on the company’s website.

The facility has produced 18,000 dekatherms so far and has been supplying Nassau County, according to Chesapeake Utilities.

Jeff Householder, board chair, president and chief executive, said, “The RNG facility at FCD is a great example of our ability to leverage our expertise across the entire energy delivery value chain — from production to virtual pipeline transportation, injection, transmission and distribution — while supporting our strategic focus on prudent capital deployment”.

RNG, or biomethane, is biogas upgraded to be used in place of traditional natural gas by raising its methane content.

Chesapeake Utilities earlier received approval from Florida’s utility regulator to build three more RNG plants that would add 13,100 dekatherms per day (Dthd) of capacity to the company’s waste-to-energy production.

The projects, to be undertaken by Chesapeake Utilities subsidiary Peninsula Pipeline Co. with a combined investment of $46 million, are planned to rise in the counties of Brevard, Indian River and Miami-Dade. Chesapeake Utilities said in a press release July 16. The RNG plants will source feedstock from local landfills. They are estimated to be completed by mid-2025 and will supply gas distributor Florida City Gas (FCG), which Chesapeake Utilities acquired last year for $923 million.

The Miami-Dade project will deliver up to 6,700 Dthd to the FCG gas grid serving South Florida. It will have a new eight-mile transmission line and a new district regulation station, a facility controlling flow to different areas.

The Indian River project will produce up to 3,200 Dthd. It will have 14 miles of new transmission infrastructure and a district regulation station. It will also interconnect with existing PPC facilities.

The Brevard project will also have a 3,200 Dthd capacity with a new transmission line stretching approximately five miles.

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