Novi Energy Appoints GM of Fremont Community Digester

Novi Energy, Novi, Mich., has announced Robert Zeldenrust has been appointed to the position of vice president, business operations, for Novi Energy and general manager of Fremont Community Digester (FCD). FCD is a $22 million anaerobic digester that will generate renewable electricity by processing organic wastes in Fremont, Mich.

“Rob Zeldenrust will help Novi Energy develop new energy infrastructure projects, including biomass, biogas and natural gas combined-cycle power projects,” says Novi President Anand Gangadharan. “We’re excited to add him to the Novi team.” Zeldenrust, based at the Fremont Community Digester, will assist in the management of its current startup testing.

Zeldenrust previously was senior manager of North Central Cooperative, a Wabash, Ind.-based agricultural cooperative with operations in Fremont. He joined Fremont Cooperative, which was acquired by North Central, in 1991 and became general manager in 1994.

Novi Energy developed and is managing the FCD facility, which will convert 100,000 tons per year of organic waste from food processing and other industries into 3 megawatts of renewable electricity. FCD’s electric generation is contracted for sale to Consumers Energy under an agreement approved by the Michigan Public Service Commission.

Novi says that FCD is the first large-scale anaerobic digester in the United States that will take organic waste from multiple waste streams, including food processing wastes as well as agricultural waste. It digests the waste in enclosed tanks to produce biogas, which will fuel two reciprocating engine-generators to produce base load renewable electricity.