The intersection of renewable fuels and agriculture is found right here in the Pacific Northwest. The Shell Oil Company is slated to begin construction next month on a dairy manure to renewable natural gas (RNG) facility, co-located at the Bettencourt Dairies in Wendell, ID, next month.

"We are excited to see this investment being made at Bettencourt Dairies," Idaho Dairymen's Association CEO Rick Naerebout said. "It demonstrates the commitment of Idaho's dairy industry in meeting sustainability expectations and being part of a solution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions."

Once operational the RNG facility, Shell Downstream Bovarius, is expected to produce approximately 400,000 MMBtu per year of negative carbon intensity RNG using cow manure from the dairy. RNG, or biomethane, is a pipeline-quality gas that is fully interchangeable with conventional natural gas and thus can be used in natural gas vehicles. The use of RNG in the form of compressed natural gas [R-CNG], can reduce CO2 emissions from around 50% to 100% compared to fossil fuels.

The Idaho Dairymen's Association expects Shell Downstream Bovarius to be one of many sizeable investments happening within Idaho's dairy industry in the coming months as the dairy industry continues to explore advancements in processing, sustainability and environmental stewardship.

In October this year, Shell successfully achieved startup and production of renewable natural gas at its first U.S. biomethane facility, Shell New Energies Junction City in Oregon. The facility utilizes locally sourced cow manure and excess agricultural residues to produce an expected 736,000 MMBtu a year of RNG.

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