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New Carbon outlines $20 million plan to produce renewable natural gas at Hastings landfill
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Summary
City staff and New Carbon updated the council on a 25-year agreement to develop landfill renewable natural gas (RNG). New Carbon said it will invest $20,000,000, expects wells and construction in 2029–2031, and estimates roughly $2,000,000 in project revenue over the development period.
City staff and representatives from New Carbon presented an update to the Hastings City Council on a multi-decade plan to produce renewable natural gas (RNG) from the city landfill.
Michelle Hill, Hastings' solid waste superintendent, introduced the project and turned the presentation over to Matt Mosher, head of engineering for New Carbon. Mosher said the company entered a 25-year land agreement to develop landfill gas collection and upgrading, and that New Carbon planned to invest $20,000,000 in the project. "That's money that will not be funded by taxpayers," Mosher said, describing the work as a private investment paired with city-owned landfill operations.
Mosher described two parts of the project: a gas-collection system of drilled wells and headers, and a gas-upgrading facility that removes sulfur and carbon dioxide to produce pipeline-quality gas. He said the company expects to begin meaningful on-site development when staged waste reaches anaerobic conditions in Cells 5 and 6, with development anticipated to start in 2028 and wells and construction occurring roughly 2029–2031. Mosher said the project could generate about $2,000,000 in revenue over the course of development.
Hill and Mosher gave technical details the council pressed on. The project relies on reaching roughly 1,600,000 short tons of waste in place and certain lift elevations (discussed as reaching elevations near 1,960) to create conditions for gas production. Mosher said sulfur is captured in activated-carbon vessels and removed as a solid waste stream, while separated carbon dioxide is emitted from the facility. When asked about older, unlined cells, Mosher and Hill said the wells will be installed in fully lined cells (Cells 5 and 6) and that older, unlined cells are not currently planned for drilling because gas recovery there would be limited by age and decomposition.
Council members questioned the expected project lifespan and environmental benefit. Mosher responded that the operating term for the facility is expected to be about 25 years and emphasized the climate benefit of capturing methane, which he said is a more potent greenhouse gas than CO2. "The EPA's guidance was to reduce the amount of methane emitted, and that's what we're doing here," Mosher said.
The council did not take action on the item; the presentation concluded with staff saying permitting and more detailed design work will proceed and that New Carbon will return as the project advances.
Sources and context: the update listed investment and revenue figures, projected development and construction windows (noted as estimates), technical explanations of collection and upgrading, and a multistep timeline for permit applications and well installation. The city confirmed the planned work will proceed through standard permitting and that more detailed schedules and permit applications will follow.
