Pennsylvania-based Archaea Energy, owned by BP, has partnered with Waste Connections to open the facility.
Archaea Energy, a subsidiary of BP, recently celebrated the opening of its first renewable natural gas (RNG) plant in Pennsylvania, developed in partnership with Waste Connections. The plant is located adjacent to the Bethlehem Landfill in Lower Saucon Township, which is owned by a subsidiary of Waste Connections.
“With this new plant in Bethlehem, we are safely and efficiently expanding our capacity and gaining momentum,” said Starlee Sykes, CEO of Archaea Energy. “Archaea has six plants operational by 2024 and we are proud to continue our commitment to curbing landfill emissions and providing our customers with lower-emission, lower-carbon fuel in the Keystone State.”
The Bethlehem landfill can process up to 3,500 standard cubic feet of landfill gas per minute (scfm) into RNG – enough gas to heat over 14,000 homes annually, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Landfill Gas Energy Benefits Calculator.
The Bethlehem landfill converts landfill gas, a natural byproduct of waste decomposition collected at the landfill, into RNG, the use of which can improve local air quality and increase and diversify domestic energy production, according to the EPA.
The partnership with Archaea and Waste Connections spans several years. In addition to the new RNG plant in Pennsylvania, Archaea owns and operates RNG plants adjacent to Waste Connections landfills in Nebraska, New York and Oklahoma. The companies also own facilities in Washington, Colorado and Oregon that convert landfill gas into electricity.
With the acquisition of Archaea in 2022, bp will be the largest RNG producer in the US
Waste Connections is an integrated solid waste management company that provides collection, transportation and disposal of non-hazardous waste, including by rail, and resource recovery, primarily through recycling and renewable fuel generation. The company serves approximately nine million residential, commercial and industrial customers in predominantly exclusive and secondary markets in 46 U.S. states and six Canadian provinces.
