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Wisconsin: biofuel project powers CNG vehicles across Midwest U.S.
Dane County Executive Joe Parisi announced that Kwik Trip will be one of the primary dispensers of the renewable vehicle fuel generated by the county’s landfill biogas project when it reaches completion later this year. When finished, the project will be able to turn trash and cow manure into renewable fuel and inject it into an interstate transmission pipeline so it can be bought and sold to power fleets of CNG vehicles. Through Kwik Trip’s partnership with Dane County, the company will be able to dispense renewable CNG fuel from the pipeline, sell it at its growing list of CNG fueling stations, and power vehicles locally and across the Midwest.
The landfill biogas facility will enable the county to convert its landfill biogas into vehicle fuel, thereby eliminating thousands of tons of carbon emissions, a leading cause to the extreme weather events triggered by climate change. “Our project at the landfill will be a win for clean air as well as Dane County taxpayers,” said Parisi. “Dane County’s partnership with Kwik Trip will enable our region to reap the benefits of the renewable fuel generated at the landfill.”
This project will displace 3,000,000 gallons of fossil fuels in the first year of operation, with this number growing to 4,000,000 gallons per year in future years. Due to renewable CNG having a lower carbon footprint, this is equivalent to taking 4,800 cars off the road. This is a CO2 emission reduction equal to over 24,000,000 pounds of coal burned. In addition to the project’s environmental benefits, it is estimated that Dane County will generate enough revenue from the project to payback its $28 million cost of the project in just a few years.
Kwik Trip is headquartered in La Crosse, Wisconsin has a fleet comprised of over 80% natural gas vehicles that deliver products to stores every day. “Kwik Trip is proud to partner with Dane County and Bluesource on this progressive, innovative, and collaborative sustainability initiative involving the transformation of the county’s landfill biogas into the development of renewable natural gas,” said David Ring, Community Relations Manager at Kwik Trip. “We view this as a win-win partnership that will allow us to provide a cleaner fuel source for our customers and create a significant benefit for the environment in the form of reduced carbon emissions. This partnership makes a positive difference in the communities we serve and fits well with Kwik Trip’s other integrated sustainability initiatives.”
Dane County’s new facility will also have a biogas offloading station to allow other biogas producers, like manure digesters, to inject their gas into the pipeline. This project is the first in the nation to be able to receive biogas from multiple off-site locations and connect that renewable gas with CNG stations locally and across the nation. Before being hauled to the landfill for injection into the interstate pipeline, the gas will need to be purified and compressed by the owner’s equipment.
