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6 min ago 3 min read
US-based Montauk Renewables has opened a $200m agricultural biogas facility in North Carolina, converting swine waste into renewable natural gas (RNG or biogas) and electricity.
The facility, developed at the site of a former Bay Valley Foods Distribution Centre, captures methane from swine manure and converts it into renewable energy products, while also producing biochar as a co-product.
The project is supported by long-term agreements with more than 80 farming locations across Sampson County. These agreements provide access to around 415,000 hog spaces targeted during the project’s first phase of development.
“As of the end of August, we have entered into long-term agreements with over 80 separate farming locations, providing us access to more than 415,000 of the hog spaces we are targeting for our first phase of development,” said Sean McClain, CEO of Montauk Renewables.
Montauk specialises in capturing biogas from agricultural and landfill sources and converting it into RNG or electricity. The company currently operates 14 projects across the US, with further developments underway in California, Idaho, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas.
The North Carolina facility also produces biochar from the waste conversion process. The solid material can be used as a soil amendment, with applications including improving nutrient and water retention.
“The biochar produced here will also improve nutrient and water retention, supporting healthier soil and stronger crop yields,” said Senator Brent Jackson, a Sampson County farmer and agricultural policy leader in North Carolina’s General Assembly.
The facility forms part of Montauk’s wider strategy of developing agricultural biogas projects in areas with concentrated livestock production.
North Carolina has approximately 42,000 farms across eight million acres, with agriculture contributing more than $100bn to the state’s economy, according to information released alongside the facility’s opening.
US biogas growth
The opening comes as the US biogas sector continues to develop a large pool of potential projects. Data from the American Biogas Council (ABC), reported by gasworld in , identified more than 17,000 additional biogas systems that could potentially be deployed across the country.
Nearly 2,600 biogas capture facilities are already operating in the US, with 52% of biogas output used for electricity generation and 44% upgraded to RNG in 2025.
The expansion of RNG production could also create additional opportunities for biogenic CO2 recovery.
Data from the RNG Coalition indicates that around 474 RNG facilities are currently operational across North America, with the potential to recover approximately 2.25 million tonnes of CO2 annually. A further 440 facilities in development could add another 2.1 million tonnes per year of potential recoverable CO2.
