Source: Cargill news release
A Cargill-built and -operated anaerobic digester on the Bettencourt Dairy B6 Farm in Jerome, Idaho, is converting manure from the farm’s 6,000 cows into 1 million kilowatt-hours of electricity a month.
The electricity is sold to the local power grid and generates enough power for about 1,100 homes each month.
“We’re proud to be creating a renewable source of electricity,” said Bettencourt Chief Financial Officer Rick Onaindia. “Our digesters are also helping us reduce overall operating costs.”
The project will also generate carbon credits from reduced methane emissions in the atmosphere.
The project builds on the success of a Cargill anaerobic digester operating since 2008 on another 10,000-cow Bettencourt Dairy farm nearby.
The two Bettencourt Dairy digester projects and a third digester project on a 5,500-cow dairy near Idaho Falls are a part of a broader initiative by Cargill Global Emissions that seeks to enhance direct participation in renewable energy projects to establish and grow its renewable energy based trading business.
The anaerobic digester from Cargill’s Environmental Finance group operates by feeding manure into a large, sealed, in-ground, oxygen-free vessel. Bacteria break down the waste creating methane biogas. The gas is then captured and burned in a series of generators that produce electricity that is sent to the grid.
“We look to environmental innovation as a way to preserve and protect the environment,” said Jay Ritzen, managing director, Cargill Environmental Finance. “That includes using energy and resources more wisely in our own operations and helping our customers’ shrink their environmental footprints.”
