August 9, 2007

Cargill to convert pig waste to energy on South African farm

US agricultural multinational Cargill Inc. plans to build an anaerobic digester on a pig farm in South Africa to convert methane from pig effluent to power; Cargill will then receive carbon credits generated from the system, officials said Wednesday (August 8).

Cargill said this will be the first time such technology will be used in the country and follows similar projects by the company in Mexico and the Philippines.

The project is being developed under the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism by EcoSecurities, thus, giving Cargill access to carbon credits generated from the digester.

Kyoto's Clean Development Mechanism allows developed countries with a greenhouse gas reduction commitment to invest in projects that reduce emissions in developing countries in order to offset their own obligations.

Henk Sa, country director of EcoSecurities South Africa said the project is only made possible by the additional income from the sale of carbon credits.

The digester will be built at Humphries Boerdery Pty Ltd, a 400-acre, family-run pig farm business, situated north of Johannesburg.

Rebecca Willson, general manager of Cargill's environmental finance business in Africa, said the digester will provide the farm with a constant source of renewable power, while reducing methane emissions into the atmosphere.

The digester is currently being built in South Africa and is expected to be installed by the end of the year. Registration of the project is due to be completed by the first quarter of 2008.