Company says landfill-based renewable natural gas plant near completion, commissioning set for February

A developer updating the Indian River County Board of County Commissioners on Jan. 14 said the county's renewable natural gas (RNG) production plant at the landfill is nearly complete and scheduled for commissioning in early February, with full operations expected by the end of March.

The company representative, identified in the meeting as George, told commissioners the plant will process landfill gas, clean it and inject it into the pipeline grid. "Indian River County, beginning Q2 of this year, will have its own domestic source of natural gas being produced right here and that will supply 80% of the needs within the county," he said.

The developer framed the project as a resilience and sustainability measure, saying a local source could provide supply if interstate pipeline service is interrupted. The presentation highlighted workforce and community benefits: the construction phase reached a peak of about 60 on-site jobs, the company has hired two local operations staff who attended the meeting — Brian Allen as plant manager and a technician identified only as Cody — and the firm said about 90% of equipment has been placed on site.

The company also said it invested in a waterline the county will use, describing that installation as a long-term benefit to county infrastructure. The presenter listed internal project milestones: completion of the biogas interconnection line to the facility, development of standard operating procedures (SOPs), and active coordination with the county's fire and safety officials. Senior staff named during the presentation included Mike Whitney (senior vice president of operations), Danny Hernandez (project manager) and Melissa Munstrahl (engineering manager).

Commissioners who attended a recent site tour praised the contractors' safety practices and progress. Chairman Feisher said the tour was "very safe" and "well explained;" Commissioner Moss and Commissioner Lohr also expressed support and noted the project's environmental and local-economic advantages.

The company representative said Florida City Gas and Florida Power & Light (FP&L) remain engaged on the pipeline interconnection and that final control systems and preventative maintenance plans are being completed before commissioning. He described the project as being in the final phase of process piping and commissioning and estimated about 24% of the project remained to complete.

No formal action or vote was taken by the commission during the presentation; commissioners asked questions and offered thanks to the project team.

Looking ahead, the developer told the board it expects interconnection and initial facility charging to occur toward the end of January or early February and that the firm will complete commissioning activities and prepare personnel and vendors for operations in that timeframe.