Vanguard Renewables, a company backed by Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) and part of BlackRock, held a groundbreaking ceremony for its latest renewable natural gas project at Oakmulgee Dairy Farm in Amelia Court House, Virginia. Owned by Larkin Moyer and his family, this farm is recognized as Virginia’s oldest continuously operating family dairy. Vanguard Renewables is a leader in building and operating organics-to-renewable natural gas facilities across the U.S., currently boasting seven operational sites and three under construction, with plans for further expansion by year-end.
The Farm Powered anaerobic digester at Oakmulgee Dairy Farm is expected to produce over 259,000 MMBtu of renewable gas annually and divert more than 105,000 tons of food and beverage waste from landfills each year. This initiative is part of a joint venture with TotalEnergies to develop renewable natural gas projects nationwide.
Neil H. Smith, CEO of Vanguard Renewables, expressed enthusiasm about collaborating with the Moyer family to implement transformative technology that converts food waste and dairy manure into renewable gas, benefiting both the environment and local communities.
The anaerobic digester system will recycle organic materials into renewable gas, which will be upgraded on-site and injected into the national pipeline. The gas produced will be used to fuel AstraZeneca’s biopharmaceutical production facilities in Maryland.
Doug Vaccari, Managing Director at GIP, praised Vanguard Renewables’ growth and the significance of this project for local economies. Congressman Bob Good emphasized the economic benefits of harnessing American energy at Oakmulgee Dairy Farm.
This partnership between Vanguard Renewables, the Moyer family, TotalEnergies, and AstraZeneca showcases the potential of cross-industry collaboration to drive environmental progress and reduce carbon emissions. Marc de Lataillade from TotalEnergies highlighted the ambition to accelerate food biowaste processing into renewable natural gas in the U.S., with this Virginia project being part of a larger pipeline that includes others in Wisconsin and Minnesota.
