Enbridge and Vanguard Renewables Announce 2 BCF Renewable Natural Gas Partnership

BOSTON –Vanguard Renewables (“Vanguard”) and Enbridge, Inc. (NYSE: ENB), a leading North American energy infrastructure company today announced a partnership whereby Enbridge will purchase upwards of 2 billion cubic feet (BCF) of renewable natural gas (RNG) annually from the anaerobic digesters that Vanguard Renewables will invest $200 million to build in the U.S. Northeast, Southeast, and Midwest. Enbridge will invest approximately $100 million in RNG upgrading equipment to convert the farm derived RNG into pipeline quality renewable natural gas and provide transportation and marketing services to market that gas to U.S. customers.

“We are proud to work with Enbridge to accelerate the development of transformational renewable energy projects on a nationwide scale and help combat climate change,” said John Hanselman, Founder and CEO of Vanguard Renewables. “Our deep relationships with leading food manufacturers and retailers through the Farm Powered Strategic Alliance enable us to convert waste that is otherwise detrimental to our environment into a climate-friendly tool to help reduce the carbon footprint of our customers. Our partnership with a company the caliber and scale of Enbridge enables the seamless transmission of the RNG from our farm network to these ESG-conscious participants that are using RNG to decarbonize their thermal energy needs.”

Vanguard Renewables is a national leader in the development and operation of food and dairy waste-to-energy projects. Vanguard builds, owns, and operates the farm-based anaerobic digestion facilities that sequester the methane from food waste and manure, produce clean energy and low-carbon organic fertilizer, and support regenerative agriculture by returning the food nutrients back to the soil. Host farmers receive cost savings and a new income stream while remaining focused on farm operations as Vanguard professionally develops and operates the on-farm RNG facilities. In December 2020, Vanguard launched the Farm Powered Strategic Alliance alongside food industry leaders Dairy Farmers of America, Unilever, and Starbucks. The Alliance is committed to developing a circular solution for food waste reduction, recycling, and decarbonization of the manufacturing and supply chain.

“As a leader in the energy transition, Enbridge is committed to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and to partnering with industry leader Vanguard Renewables, which is developing new sources of clean energy and helping companies reduce their emissions,” said Bill Yardley, Executive Vice President and President, Gas Transmission and Midstream at Enbridge. “This partnership is a great example of how we’re advancing low carbon energies across our natural gas systems.” 

The partnership is another step towards Vanguard’s goal to create a nationwide solution for sequestering methane, one of the most harmful greenhouse gases, by diverting food waste from landfills and incinerators to our network of farm-based anaerobic digesters. When released into the atmosphere, methane is approximately 40 times more effective at trapping solar radiation in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, making it one of the most powerful greenhouse gases. By capturing methane and converting it into RNG, Enbridge and Vanguard expect to produce enough renewable energy to annually displace approximately 110,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, equivalent to removing nearly 25,000 fossil fuel powered cars from the road.

“Alongside the Farm Powered Strategic Alliance, our multi-year strategic partnership with Dairy Farmers of America and alliances with other dairy organizations demonstrate Vanguard Renewables’ commitment to working with the agricultural and food industries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. By working together, we are able to enhance the long-term operational and economic benefits for family farmers while benefiting the community and environment at large by converting harmful waste into renewable energy,” Hanselman added.

About Vanguard Renewables

Vanguard Renewables is a national leader in the development of food and dairy waste-to-renewable energy projects. The Company is committed to advancing decarbonization by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from farms and food waste and supporting regenerative agriculture best practices on partner farms. In December 2020, Vanguard launched the Farm Powered Strategic Alliance alongside food industry leaders Dairy Farmers of America, Unilever, and Starbucks. The Alliance commits to developing a circular solution for food waste reduction and recycling and decarbonization of manufacturing and the supply chain. Vanguard Renewables owns and operates 6 anaerobic digester facilities in the northeast, has 10 under construction or in permitting nationwide, and will develop 100 in the top 20 U.S. markets by 2025. Vanguard’s established renewable natural gas offtake agreements with national utilities including Dominion Energy and ONE Gas and its strategic alliance with 14,500-dairy member cooperative, Dairy Farmers of America, position the Company to significantly impact U.S. production and delivery of renewable natural gas to commercial and residential customers across the country. Vanguard received the 2020 Energy Vision Leadership Award. Vanguard’s Farm Powered® anaerobic digester at Goodrich Farm in Salisbury, Vermont was recognized as the 2021 Outstanding Dairy Sustainability Award from the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. Please visit vanguardrenewables.com to learn more.