SoCalGas Renews Program to Deliver Renewable Natural Gas to Vehicle Fueling Stations
May 9, 2022
CO2 emissions avoided over last three years are equivalent to eliminating nearly 31 million gallons of gasoline
LOS ANGELES, May 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) has renewed a program to supply renewable natural gas (RNG) to all 32 of the company's fueling stations, along with six in the San Diego area, signing three-year contracts with suppliers U.S. Gain and Element Markets as demand continues to grow.
In April 2019, SoCalGas began replacing traditional compressed natural gas at fueling stations with RNG to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and meet California's climate goals. RNG is produced by capturing methane emissions from organic waste materials. Depending on the source of organic waste, RNG can be carbon negative because it captures more greenhouse gases than it emits. Since September 2020, the RNG delivered at the 38 fueling stations is considered carbon negative by the California Air Resources Board (CARB).
RNG delivered at the 38 fueling stations helped avoid approximately 275,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions over the last three years - equivalent to eliminating nearly 31 million gallons of gasoline burned, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator.
"Our first three years dispensing RNG at our fueling stations have been a dramatic success, both in terms of moving forward toward our climate goals by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but also in demonstrating the growing demand for clean RNG in our region," said Elsa Valay-Paz, SoCalGas vice president of gas acquisition. "We dispensed 46 percent more RNG the last year than we did during the first two years, and we expect demand to continue to grow."
The new three-year renewal continues SoCalGas' partnership with U.S. Gain. SoCalGas signed a new contract with Element Markets to provide RNG as a second partner.
"We're honored to continue working with SoCalGas to build on the success of the last three years, connecting their fleet with RNG in support of their decarbonization journey," said Bryan Nudelbacher, U.S. Gain's Director of Business Development. "Successful programs like this can help accelerate RNG adoption across industries, applications and geographies to reduce emissions and make a real impact on climate change."
"We're pleased to have been chosen to partner with SoCalGas as they explore and expand the use of low carbon RNG," said Angela Schwarz, CEO of Element Markets. "As the leading independent marketer of RNG in the U.S. and, with our recent merger with Bluesource, the largest marketer and originator of carbon and environmental credits in North America, we welcome the opportunity to grow in our role a trusted provider of decarbonization solutions that progress sustainability mandates and voluntary goals."
Last year, SoCalGas received the 2021 NGV Achievement Award in the Utility Leadership for outstanding contributions to the advancement of natural gas as a transportation fuel, in part for its RNG efforts at fueling stations.
RNG is an important tool in SoCalGas' efforts to reach both California's and the company's climate goals. In 2019, the company established benchmarks including delivering 20 percent renewable natural gas (RNG) by 2030. Last year, SoCalGas expanded its sustainability goals further, setting its aims on achieving net zero greenhouse emissions in its operations and the energy it delivers by 2045.
And in October, SoCalGas shared its Clean Fuels Study, a comprehensive technical analysis that examines how to achieve California's carbon neutrality goals through a more integrated, reliable, and affordable energy system with a diverse array of clean fuels that includes RNG and hydrogen.
For more information about renewable natural gas and how it fits into SoCalGas' sustainability efforts, please visit https://www.socalgas.com/aspire2045.
About SoCalGas
SoCalGas is the largest gas distribution utility in the United States, serving more than 21 million consumers across approximately 24,000 square miles of Central and Southern California. Our mission is: Safe, Reliable, and Affordable energy delivery today. Ready for tomorrow. SoCalGas is a recognized leader in the energy industry and has been named Corporate Member of the Year by the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce for its volunteer leadership in the communities it serves. SoCalGas is a subsidiary of Sempra (NYSE: SRE), a leading North American energy infrastructure company. For more information, visit SoCalGas.com/newsroom or connect with SoCalGas on social media @SoCalGas.
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions about the future, involve risks and uncertainties, and are not guarantees. Future results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statement. These forward-looking statements represent our estimates and assumptions only as of the date of this press release We assume no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
In this press release, forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as “believe,” “expect,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “contemplate,” “plan,” “estimate,” “project,” “forecast,” “envision,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “will,” “confident,” “may,” “can,” “potential,” “possible,” “proposed,” “in process,” “construct,” “develop,” “opportunity,” “preliminary,” “initiative,” "target," "outlook," “optimistic,” “poised,” “positioned,” “maintain,” “continue,” “progress,” “advance,” “goal,” “aim,” “commit,” or similar expressions, or when we discuss our guidance, priorities, strategies, goals, vision, mission, projections, intentions or expectations.
Factors, among others, that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statement include: decisions, denials of cost recovery, audits, investigations, inquiries, ordered studies, regulations, denials or revocations of permits, consents, approvals or other authorizations, renewals of franchises, and other actions, including the failure to honor contracts and commitments, by the (i) California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Internal Revenue Service and other regulatory bodies and (ii) U.S. and states, counties, cities and other jurisdictions therein where we do business; the success of business development efforts and construction projects, including risks related to (i) completing construction projects or other transactions on schedule and budget, (ii) realizing anticipated benefits from any of these efforts if completed, (iii) obtaining third-party consents and approvals and (iv) third parties honoring their contracts and commitments; changes to our capital expenditure plans and their potential impact on rate base or other growth; litigation, arbitration and other proceedings, and changes (i) to laws and regulations, including those related to tax, (ii) due to the results of elections, and (iii) in trade and other foreign policy, including the imposition of tariffs by the U.S. and foreign countries; cybersecurity threats, including by state and state-sponsored actors, of ransomware or other attacks on our systems or the systems of third parties with which we conduct business, including the energy grid or other energy infrastructure; the availability, uses, sufficiency, and cost of capital resources and our ability to borrow money or otherwise raise capital on favorable terms and meet our obligations, which can be affected by, among other things, (i) actions by credit rating agencies to downgrade our credit ratings or place those ratings on negative outlook, (ii) instability in the capital markets, and (iii) fluctuating interest rates and inflation; the impact on affordability of our customer rates and our cost of capital and on our ability to pass through higher costs to customers due to (i) volatility in inflation, interest rates and commodity prices and (ii) the cost of meeting the demand for lower carbon and reliable energy in California; the impact of climate policies, laws, rules, regulations, trends and required disclosures, including actions to reduce or eliminate reliance on natural gas, increased uncertainty in the political or regulatory environment for California natural gas distribution companies, the risk of nonrecovery for stranded assets, and uncertainty related to emerging technologies; weather, natural disasters, pandemics, accidents, equipment failures, explosions, terrorism, information system outages or other events, such as work stoppages, that disrupt our operations, damage our facilities or systems, cause the release of harmful materials or fires or subject us to liability for damages, fines and penalties, some of which may not be recoverable through regulatory mechanisms or insurance or may impact our ability to obtain satisfactory levels of affordable insurance; the availability of natural gas and natural gas storage capacity, including disruptions caused by failures in the pipeline and storage systems or limitations on the injection and withdrawal of natural gas from storage facilities; and other uncertainties, some of which are difficult to predict and beyond our control.
These risks and uncertainties are further discussed in the reports that the company has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). These reports are available through the EDGAR system free-of-charge on the SEC's website, www.sec.gov, and on Sempra’s website, www.sempra.com. Investors should not rely unduly on any forward-looking statements.
Sempra Infrastructure, Sempra Infrastructure Partners, Sempra Texas, Sempra Texas Utilities, Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC (Oncor) and Infraestructura Energética Nova, S.A.P.I. de C.V. (IEnova) are not the same companies as the California utilities, San Diego Gas & Electric Company or Southern California Gas Company, and Sempra Infrastructure, Sempra Infrastructure Partners, Sempra Texas, Sempra Texas Utilities, Oncor and IEnova are not regulated by the CPUC.