Chevron’s Brightmark RNG Produces First Gas Across 10 Midwestern Projects
Brightmark partners with farmers to produce RNG through anaerobic digestion to collect and digest organic waste to extract methane and upgrade it into RNG for use as fuel.
Brightmark RNG achieved a first gas milestone at 10 RNG projects in Iowa, Michigan, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Ohio, increasing its ownership and operation to 15 RNG projects in Midwestern region. Brightmark has reduced methane emissions via anaerobic digestion by over 1.2 million tons of CO2 equivalent at its RNG circularity centers.
“We’re excited to see these projects come online and begin reducing methane emissions while driving economic development in local communities,” said Bob Powell, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Brightmark. “This milestone demonstrates the scalability of these solutions and determination from farmers to reduce methane emissions in one of the nation’s largest agricultural regions.”
The company’s anaerobic digestion process produces RNG in partnership with farmers: It collects and digests organic waste to extract methane and upgrades it into RNG for transportation fuel. The methane emissions reduction is equivalent to the carbon sequestered by planting and growing approximately 20 million trees over 10 years. With these first gas milestones, Brightmark RNG owns and operates 15 RNG projects in the U.S. Midwest. This region generates almost 43% of the country’s agricultural products.
Boadwine Dairy Farm; image credit: Midwest Dairy
“Implementing anaerobic digestion at our farm is not only environmentally sound but also economically beneficial,” said Lynn Boadwine of Boadwine Dairy Inc. “Additional revenue generated from the RNG we produce provides a viable and economic solution to address recurring waste and makes the transition toward a lower carbon intensity agriculture more attainable. It’s a win-win.”
Brightmark RNG is a joint venture between Chevron U.S.A. and Brightmark Fund Holdings.
More Chevron News
This week, Chevron’s Whale semi-submersible platform recently started oil production in the deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico, with a projected peak production of 100,000 gross boe/d and up to 15 wells under development. The Whale platform is approximately 200 miles southwest of Houston on Alaminos Canyon Block 773 in more than 8,600 feet of water. It’s also located approximately 10 miles from the Shell-operated Perdido spar platform, in which Chevron owns 37.5% interest.
The Whale contains gas turbines and compression systems equipped with energy-efficient technology and utilizes a simplified design that may deliver lower emissions, lower costs, and higher returns for Chevron. Chevron U.S.A. owns 40% working interest in Whale, with Shell Offshore owning 60% interest as operator.
In August 2024, Chevron started oil and natural gas production at its deepwater asset in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico—the Anchor project. The Anchor—a semi-submersible FPU—features a design capacity of 75,000 gross barrels of oil per day and 28 million gross cubic feet of natural gas per day. The site has reservoir depths up to 34,000 feet below sea-level, and production is aided by high-pressure technology rated up to 20,000 psi.
Development includes seven subsea wells connected to the Anchor FPU, located in the Green Canyon approximately 140 miles offshore Louisiana, in water depths of about 5,000 feet. It is designed as an all-electric facility with electric motors and electronic controls to minimize carbon emissions. In addition, the FPU uses waste heat and vapor recovery units and existing pipelines to transport oil and natural gas to U.S. Gulf Coast markets. The site contains up to 440 million barrels of oil equivalent in estimated recoverable resources.
