LAWTON – Methane gas from the city’s solid-waste sanitary landfill will be collected for scrubbing and conversion into usable natural gas.
The City Council approved the annexation of a quarter-section of land the city owns on the east side of the sanitary landfill, at the northwest corner of Southwest Tinney Road and South Railroad, for a “renewable” natural gas project managed by Comanche Renewables. The 160 acres will be temporarily zoned I-4 (heavy industrial district) “for a period of time not to exceed one year…” Renewable natural gas is the term used to describe “pipeline-quality biogas produced from various biomass sources … through a biochemical process that has been processed to purity standards and is interchangeable with conventional natural gas.”
Instead of allowing methane from landfills to escape into the atmosphere, landfill gas can be captured, converted, and used as a renewable energy resource.
For example, last November the Oklahoma Corporation Commission authorized Oklahoma Natural Gas Co., this state’s largest natural gas provider, to launch a pilot project that will increase its fuel supplies with renewable natural gas from food waste, landfills, and anaerobic digesters at wastewater treatment plants.
The Oklahoma Secretary of State’s website lists Sparq Natural Gas of Oklahoma City as the registered agent for Comanche Renewables.
Sparq Natural Gas claims on its website that it is “accelerating America’s transition to more affordable transportation powered by a cheaper, cleaner, homegrown fuel: compressed natural gas.” CNG is a fueling alternative for cars and trucks.
Southwest Ledger left a voicemail message for Norman Herrera, Sparq’s co-founder and CEO, and followed up with an email, but received no response.