Linden Renewable Energy Project


Quick Links:

Project Details

  • LRE is a food waste-to-RNG facility currently under construction in Linden, NJ.
  • The facility has the capacity to process 1,475 tons per day of organic waste that is expected to produce 3,783 dekatherms per day of renewable natural gas, the energy equivalent of 30,200 gallons of gasoline each day.
  • The project is expected to convert organic waste into bio-methane using proven anerobic digestion technology in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area. The bio-methane is anticipated to then be upgraded to pipeline-quality natural gas for injection into the Elizabethtown Gas system next to the site.
  • The project aims to assist New York City, Northern New Jersey, and the larger metro area in managing their organic waste streams in alignment with state and local food waste regulations requiring organic waste diversion from landfills.
  • Construction on the facility began in January 2024 and is slated to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2025.
Aerial picture of the Project sitePhoto of the groundbreaking ceremony3D Diagram of the finished project

 

“From the creation of hundreds of jobs, the potential to reduce greenhouse gases, and the use of innovative technology, this project is another example of how SJI is leading the way toward a cleaner energy future." - Mike Renna

 

Environmental Benefits

  • Landfills represent a third of human-made methane emissions in the United States. By diverting organic waste from landfills, LRE is anticipated to avoid an estimated 120,000 metric tons of CO2e annually when working at full capacity.
  • The project’s production of renewable natural gas will be used to offset natural gas in the local Elizabethtown Gas distribution network.
  • LRE will use on-site Bloom Energy fuel cells to produce nearly all the on-site power requirements, thereby minimizing reliance on the local grid and associated carbon emissions.
  • The project will also produce 200-300 cubic yards per day of digested solids which are expected to be sold as a soil amendment. This natural organic byproduct of the anaerobic digestion process can serve as an alternative to chemical fertilizers.
 

About the Project Owners

 
SJI, an energy infrastructure holding company based in Folsom, NJ, delivers energy services to customers through two primary subsidiaries: SJI Utilities (SJIU) and SJI Renewable Energy Ventures. SJIU houses the company's regulated natural gas utility operations, delivering safe, reliable, and affordable natural gas to more than 730,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers across New Jersey via its South Jersey Gas and Elizabethtown Gas subsidiaries.
Elizabethtown Gas is the natural gas energy provider to over 300,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in parts of Union, Middlesex, Sussex, Warren, Hunterdon, Morris and Mercer counties. This project will blend the RNG from the Linden Renewable Project into the Elizabethtown Gas natural gas distribution system.


The LRE project is owned and operated by Catamaran Renewables, LLC. Catamaran Renewables is a Joint Venture partnership between Captona and SJI.
 
Captona is a North American investment firm with 15 years of transactional experience in the clean & renewable energy sector focused on investments in latestage middle-market clean fuel and renewable energy projects across the RNG, wind, solar, fuel cell and storage asset classes.
 
The LRE Project was developed by RNG Energy Solutions, LLC. RNG Energy and its members have 100+ combined years of experience successfully developing, financing and managing the construction of complex energy infrastructure projects. The RNG Energy Teams experience includes the development of natural gas Combustion Turbine and Combined Cycle projects, Anaerobic Digester Projects and biomass projects.