The Project
Pacific Ag Renewables (PAR) is developing Sunnyside RNG (SSRNG), to convert agricultural waste into renewable natural gas (RNG). By utilizing around 30% of the lower Valley’s dairy manure, SSRNG will reduce odor, air pollution, and create family-wage jobs and local tax revenue.
Sunnyside RNG is being developed on 49 acres at the Port of Sunnyside Industrial Area in Sunnyside, Washington. The project collects dairy manure from participating farms in the lower Yakima Valley, processes it in sealed tanks called anaerobic digesters, captures the methane gas that is produced, and cleans that gas to pipeline-quality renewable natural gas (RNG).
The facility will be owned and operated by Pacific Ag Renewables, headquartered in Hermiston, OR and subject to applicable state and federal environmental regulations governing facility construction and operation.
This same digester technology has been used safely at Sunnyside’s own Wastewater Treatment Plant for more than 50 years. More than 471 similar facilities operate across the United States.
Project Information Sheet — English & Spanish
Helpful Infographic
How it Works
1. Collect – Manure is loaded into sealed tanker trucks at participating dairies before it reaches a lagoon and is transported an average of 8–12 miles to the facility.
2. Digest – Inside sealed digester tanks, naturally occurring-bacteria break down the manure over several weeks — producing methane gas and a nutrient-rich digestate.
3. Deliver – The captured methane is cleaned and upgraded to pipeline-quality renewable natural gas, then injected into the existing interstate natural gas pipeline running through the site.
Good for the Local Farmers
For local dairy farmers, the Sunnyside RNG plant will offer a solution to their manure management challenges. By filling daily sealed tanker trucks with manure prior to it entering the lagoon, the Sunnyside RNG project removes the manure storage and land application burden for participating dairies.
Good for the Community
Sunnyside RNG will reduce odors, reduce pollution and add good, family-wage jobs and additional local and state tax revenue to support local services.
According to the analysis by the Yakima County Development Association, the Sunnyside RNG plant will add 100+ jobs (includes direct, indirect, and induced) including approximately 30 direct facility wage positions, 15 trucking positions, and 35–55 indirect jobs in the local supply chain and services economy. The total wages created = $4.7 million.
It will also pay taxes to support much needed local and state services: the total annual local taxes = $4.5 million; Total annual state tax = $9.2 million. This $13.7 million will go to support schools, and other important local services.
The facility will also help solve the challenges associated with dairy manure management by aggregating and processing the manure through our digestors. By working with many dairies, we generate a process with economies of scale that would otherwise be out of reach for individual, smaller dairies. As such, we are a single point of accountability with professional management dedicated to compliance and best practices. This innovative approach creates both environmental benefits and provides more economic opportunity for the community.
Good for the Environment
The Sunnyside RNG facility will capture almost 30% of the dairy manure in the lower Valley. Without this manure sitting in open lagoons or land applied, manure odors will be significantly reduced. Less methane and sulfur odors to waft across the Valley.
With less dairy manure in the Lower Yakima Valley there should be fewer ammonia emissions. By replacing open lagoon storage with sealed digestion, the project reduces the ammonia load, and pollution entering the local atmosphere.
Anaerobic Digestion
Anaerobic digestion is a biological process where organic matter is broken down by microorganisms creating two main products (biogas and digestate). The biogas can then be conditioned into renewable natural gas as well as other fuel types used for heat and transportation. Digestate can be used for fertilizer, livestock bedding or organic compost.
Where will your facility be located?
Our proposed facility is located in the Port of Sunnyside Industrial Park off of Sunnyside Mabton Road.