December 27, 2007
JBS Swift Beef opens biogas facility in Nebraska
JBS Swift Group has linked together with Environmental Power Corporation to build a biogas processing facility at JBS Swift's beef processing plant in Grand Island, Nebraska, to improve environmental sustainability at the plant.
The biogas plant will generate renewable energy that will replace some of the plant's natural gas consumption that is deemed to improve the plant's waste management practices, the company in a statement said. The biogas facility is scheduled to be operational in the fourth quarter of 2008.
JBS Swift is the third-largest beef processor in the US.
Environmental Power subsidiary Microgy Inc. will head the construction and operations of the biogas facility and will sell the gas to the Grand Island plant pursuant to a 15-year purchase agreement.
The facility will convert byproducts and waste from the plant through an anaerobic digester technology into a methane-rich biogas which will be used as fuel for the plant's boilers.
The facility is projected to generate 235,000 MMBtu per year or energy equivalent of 1.7 million gallons of oil to replace approximately 25 percent of the plant's annual purchase and use of natural gas, thus reducing its use of fossil fuels, the announcement said.
The plant is also expected to reduce land application of waste materials that raises quality concern on air and water.
The Grand Island plant will greatly shrink its environmental footprint, company officials said.
The project will provide the plant with a cost-effective fuel source and improve the environmental sustainability of its operations, noted plant general manager and vice president Dennis Sydow. It will benefit the community, the environment and the company, he said.
Rich Kessel, Environmental Power chief executive officer and president said the plant "is our first inside-the-fence project" at a meat processing company and demonstrates JBS Swift's "willingness to embrace emerging renewable energy technologies."
