Published by Pork Magazine
Written by: Jennifer Shike
A low-pressure natural gas transmission line connecting a Smithfield hog farm located in northern Missouri with the city of Milan’s natural gas pipeline is now complete, Smithfield Foods announced. Renewable natural gas produced at the hog farm will be directly injected into the natural gas transmission line flowing into Milan’s natural gas distribution system prior to delivery.
A Smithfield “manure-to-energy” project in Missouri (Smithfield Foods)
“As we work to expand our ‘manure-to-energy’ projects nationwide, it is inspiring to witness the fruition of our renewable energy efforts in Missouri,” said Kraig Westerbeek, senior director of Smithfield Renewables and Hog Production Environmental Affairs. “We are proud that these efforts allow the locations we call home to contribute to a sustainable energy future while curbing our carbon footprint.”
This project is part of the Monarch Bioenergy joint venture with Roeslein Alternative Energy to capture methane emissions from Smithfield’s Northern Missouri hog farms and convert them into pipeline-quality natural gas.
Over the next 10 years, Smithfield will implement “manure-to-energy” projects across 90% of its hog finishing spaces in North Carolina, Utah, Virginia, and nearly all of its hog finishing spaces in Missouri.