A subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell has successfully achieved startup and production of renewable natural gas (RNG) at its first US biomethane facility.

The Shell New Energies Junction City in Oregon uses locally-sourced cow manure and excess agricultural residues to produce an estimated 736,000MMBtu of RNG annually.

The project is part of Shell Oil Products US’ growing portfolio of developing RNG production and distribution assets supporting low carbon renewable compressed natural gas as fuel for heavy-duty, on-road transport.

It is developing additional RNG production facilities to be located directly within operating dairies, with Shell Downstream Galloway at the High Plains Ponderosa Dairy in Plains, Kansas and Shell Downstream Bovarius at the Bettencourt Dairies in Wendell, Idaho part of the expanding biofuels portfolio using cow manure as feedstock.

Together, the two facilities can produce around 900,000MMBtu of RNG a year.

According to Shell, the use of RNG in the form of compressed natural gas (R-CNG) is estimated to reduce CO2 emissions from around 50% to 100% compared to fossil fuels.

Carlos Maurer, Executive Vice President Sectors and Decarbonisation at Shell said: “Biomethane has a significant role to play in the energy transition and this achievement advances our strategy as we work to reduce emissions from the fuels and other energy products we sell.

“We are excited to offer renewable compressed natural gas as a low carbon fuel choice for our customers.”