California Approves First SB 1440 RNG Supply Project for Pipeline Injection

California regulators have approved the first RNG supply contract under SB 1440, advancing biomethane production and pipeline injection from organic waste at Anaergia’s SoCal facility.

(P&GJ) — The California Public Utilities Commission has conditionally approved a long-term renewable natural gas (RNG) supply contract tied to Anaergia’s SoCal Biomethane facility, marking the first project to move forward under the state’s SB 1440 biomethane procurement program.

The agreement involves Anaergia’s SoCal Biomethane LLC, Anew Climate and Southwest Gas, and supports the delivery of RNG produced from organic waste into the natural gas pipeline system.

The Victorville-based facility co-digests organic waste and wastewater to generate biogas, which is upgraded to pipeline-quality RNG for distribution. The project is designed to process up to 104,000 tons of organic waste annually while reducing methane emissions.

SB 1440 requires California utilities to procure increasing volumes of RNG derived from landfill-diverted organic waste, with targets equivalent to roughly 55 facilities of similar scale by 2035.

“Anaergia is proud that our facility will be the first to supply SB 1440-qualified RNG in California,” said Assaf Onn, Anaergia’s Chief Executive Officer. “This milestone demonstrates how existing wastewater infrastructure can be leveraged to rapidly scale RNG supply from organic waste as mandated by California laws SB 1383 and SB 1440.”

“Long-term offtake agreements from natural gas utilities support state climate goals, and we appreciate the CPUC’s leadership in advancing projects that deliver real, local emissions reductions,” said Ryan Childress, Managing Director of Low Carbon Fuels at Anew Climate. “This is a meaningful step toward scaling renewable, baseload energy.”