Lorain Renewable Natural Gas Facility

EDL is the owner and operator of the Lorain Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) Facility, which is located adjacent to and works collaboratively with the Republic Services Lorain County Landfill, at Oberlin, Ohio. When fully ramped up in 2024 it will be capable of converting waste gases from landfill into approximately 1.6 million MMBtu per year of pipeline-quality RNG. RNG from the Lorain facility is injected into a delivery pipeline and supplied to customers as a cleaner fuel source by the power utility industry and to power light commercial vehicles as a direct alternative to fossil-fuel compressed natural gas (CNG).

RNG from the Lorain facility is transported via a delivery pipeline and used by customers as a cleaner fuel source by the power utility industry and to power light commercial vehicles.

 

At a glance

  • Project name:

    Lorain RNG Facility

  • Owner, operator:

    EDL

  • Start of operation:

    August 2023 (LFG to RNG)

  • Location:

    Oberlin, Ohio, United States of America

  • Primary fuel:

    Landfill Gas

  • RNG produced p.a.:

    up to 1.6 million MMBtu by 2024

  • Avoided emissions:

    The equivalent of about 5.5 million gallons of diesel p.a. when used in vehicle transport

  • Equivalent cars off the road:

    12,238 p.a.

About the RNG facility

EDL upgraded the existing power plant that converted waste gases from the Republic Services Lorain County Landfill to develop a new RNG facility that is the first of its kind in Oberlin.

At operating capacity, the RNG facility will extract and convert the landfill gas and create approximately 1.6 million MMBtu/year of pipeline quality RNG. Using this RNG instead of natural gas will displace about 55,000 tCO2e (tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions) per year that would have otherwise resulted from combusting comparable fossil fuels.

The Lorain RNG facility started processing gas in August 2023, and will ramp-up to full operating capacity in 2024. During plant commissioning and at certain times during operations a visible flare flame will be noticeable. This is a normal part of the commissioning process.

A flare is a device that controls gas emissions by igniting and burning excess LFG before it can be released to the atmosphere.

Flares are used to control LFG emissions during start up and downtime of the energy recovery system and to control gas that exceeds the capacity of the energy conversion equipment.

Throughout all commissioning activities and into operation, EDL will continue to ensure safety and operational practices meet the highest standards.

There are no risks to area residents associated with the flare.

For enquiries about the Lorain RNG facility, please contact LorainRNG@edlenergy.com or +1-517-781-7238.