PSC Approves Florida’s First Renewable Natural Gas Program

The Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) today approved a Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) program for Peoples Gas System (Peoples), marking the first time a Florida natural gas utility will offer biogas producers the option of delivering RNG into its distribution system.
RNG—biogas that has been processed to meet pipeline quality standards–is produced from materials such as wastewater treatment plants, landfills, municipal solid waste, livestock manure, and agricultural waste. Peoples has been approached by landfill operators and wastewater treatment plant owners who want to deliver RNG into its distribution system.
According to Peoples, the biogas producer could use the RNG onsite or contract with a customer who will purchase the RNG from the biogas producer.  Potential customers may include compressed natural gas (CNG) fill stations and industrial customers, or Peoples could purchase the RNG, thus displacing a portion of traditional (geologic) natural gas with RNG.
Potential RNG projects include waste-to-energy requests for proposals issued by local governments, including Hillsborough, Polk, and Volusia Counties, and the City of St. Petersburg to reuse gas that now escapes into the atmosphere or is flared (burned off).