Chevron’s mission to help California meet its ambitious zero-emission goals on state roadways includes significant investment in hydrogen infrastructure in California for commercial and passenger cars, trucks and ferries.
Adding to the company’s slate of lower-carbon strategies is its production of renewable fuels that are made using cow manure from California dairy farms.
Recently, Chevron announced it is expanding its partnership with California Bioenergy LLC (CalBio) to install technology that captures methane released by cow manure at dairy farms and turns it into a renewable natural gas used for transportation.
A renewable natural gas transportation fuel is considered carbon negative on a lifecycle basis under the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard. As part of the partnership, Chevron is investing additional funding so CalBio can install as many as seven digesters and one central upgrading facility across a cluster of dairy farms in Merced County.
Chevron’s funding will enable the project, slated to be completed next year, to benefit from a California Department of Food and Agriculture grant, as the grant program requires augmentation by additional capital to complete projects.
Once completed, Chevron will market the renewable natural gas to California consumers.
Neil Black, president of CalBio, said the project “will help California with its emission reduction targets,” protecting local air and water quality while creating jobs.
“We are excited to continue our partnership with CalBio and work with local communities and farmers to develop lower carbon fuel solutions,” added Andy Walz, president of Americas Fuels & Lubricants for Chevron. “The investment underscores our commitment to produce 40,000 MMBTU/D of RNG by 2030 and grow the lower carbon businesses that we believe will be a bigger part of the future.”
