Chevron: Brightmark, Chevron announce first gas at athena project

Brightmark RNG Holdings LLC – a joint venture partnership between Chevron U.S.A. Inc., a subsidiary of Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX), and Brightmark Fund Holdings LLC, a subsidiary of Brightmark LLC, the global waste solutions provider – delivered first gas at its Athena Project in Minnehaha County, South Dakota. The project is comprised of three farms located in Minnehaha County: Boadwine Farms, Pioneer Dairy, and Mooody Dairy. The project is part of the previously announced partnership to own project companies across the United States to produce and market dairy biomethane, a renewable natural gas (RNG).

Methane generated by the manure from the Athena Project is expected to be captured, cleaned, and converted into RNG, which can be used for transportation, cooking, or electricity. The gas is anticipated to be injected into the local interstate pipeline system statewide.

“Achieving first gas at the Athena Project marks another major milestone as Brightmark continues to scale and expand our RNG production footprint throughout the country,” said Bob Powell, founder and CEO of Brightmark. “Through our collaboration with Chevron and Lynn Boadwine, owner of Boadwine Farms, Pioneer Dairy and Mooody Dairy, we believe the Athena Project further demonstrates the transformative economic and environmental benefits of partnering with our country’s essential farmers to reduce and offset lifecycle carbon emissions.”

“We are excited to achieve another milestone in our partnership with Brightmark,” said Andy Walz, president of Chevron’s Americas Fuels & Lubricants. “These renewable natural gas projects are not only designed to capture methane that is currently emitted to the atmosphere and repurpose it as a valuable transportation fuel with lower lifecycle carbon intensity, but they also support our commitment to meeting our customers’ growing demand for lower carbon fuel solutions.”

“As agriculture and technology continue to advance and evolve, it has become apparent now more than ever that these two industries need to work hand in hand for the sake of our environment and those that inhabit it,” said Lynn Boadwine, owner of Boadwine Farms, Pioneer Dairy and Mooody Dairy. “It is truly an honor to be a part of this collaborative effort with Brightmark and Chevron, and with the achievement of first gas at the Athena Project, we believe we are actively demonstrating the positive results that can be produced by the coalescence of agriculture and scientific innovation.”