This week, Archaea Energy, a subsidiary of BP, celebrated the opening of their new renewable natural gas (RNG) plant next to the Bethlehem Landfill. The plant is the first of its kind in Pennsylvania, according to a press release from the company.
Archaea operates 50 sites in 32 states, with six new plants started so far in 2024.
According to Archaea’s website, their partnerships with landfill and farm owners allow them to capture methane, also known as biogas, from waste and use it to produce RNG. Sources of biogas that can be utilized include landfills, animal manure, and separated organic waste.This can be used in existing infrastructure as a low carbon energy source.
The Bethlehem Landfill, located on Applebutter Road in Lower Saucon Township, was approved for expansion in December 2023 regardless of objections from neighboring residents concerned about impacts on the environment and quality of life.
Experts say RNG plants like this can limit the negative effects of greenhouse gasses, which trap heat in the atmosphere and cause global warming. They can also suppress the bad smell found at most landfills caused by the methane.
By processing the Hellertown plant’s full capability of 3,500 cubic feet of landfill gas per minute, Archaea can heat more than 14,000 homes every year.
Archaea also owns and operates RNG plants in Nebraska, New York, and Oklahoma alongside landfills owned by Waste Connections, the company that owns the Bethlehem Landfill.
