Republic Services partners with EDL to provide RNG for San Antonio buses

EDL, an Australia-based producer of sustainable distributed energy, has announced Republic Services, Phoenix, and other key project stakeholders celebrated the third year of a partnership to provide sustainable solutions for San Antonio public buses at EDL’s Tessman Road renewable natural gas (RNG) facility.

Since commencing operations in 2022, EDL and Republic Services have worked with San Antonio-based partners including CPS Energy and Via Metropolitan Transit to support the city’s transition to a low-carbon future. The facility transforms methane-rich landfill gas into RNG that helps power Via’s fleet of compressed natural gas (CNG) buses, EDL says.

Republic Services’ Tessman Road Landfill, which employs close to 50 people, sends 5,700 standard cubic feet per minute of gas to the RNG facility, captured from a network of 265 gas recovery wells.

“Our vision is to partner with customers to create a more sustainable world now and for future generations,” says Republic Services General Manager Bill Rich. “Through partnerships like these, we are converting the community’s waste into a lower-carbon fuel source that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and brings us closer to our goal of beneficially reusing 50 percent more of our biogas by 2030.”

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Gas generated by decomposing organic materials is captured from the landfill and processed into RNG by EDL. The quantities of RNG produced at Tessman Road are enough to displace about 7 million gallons of diesel each year when used in transport.

“RNG is playing a key role in generating clean, homegrown energy for San Antonio,” says Anthony Falbo, EDL North America CEO. “We’re proud to see the success of partnerships like this, where EDL works closely with our customers to achieve reliability and sustainability goals, while making a positive impact on local communities and residents.”

The RNG produced at the facility is added to CPS Energy’s existing pipeline network for delivery to end users.

“This first-of-its-kind RNG project for CPS Energy highlights our strategy to think globally and act locally to bring innovative solutions to our community,” says Rudy Garza, president and CEO of CPS Energy. “Integrating this RNG gas delivery system is key to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the greater San Antonio area and is making a positive impact in our city. Thanks to this collaboration with Republic Services, EDL and Via, we are making a very important step in supporting San Antonio’s commitment to reducing emissions through innovation and technology.”

A portion of the RNG generated from the site is integrated into the existing pipeline that fuels Via Metropolitan Transit’s fleet of more than 400 CNG buses. Via began its transition to CNG buses in 2017 and successfully completed the conversion in 2021.

“Public transit is essential to our community, and we know that our customers rely on Via to get them where they need to go,” says Jon Gary Herrera, Via Metropolitan Transit president and CEO. “We are proud to be part of this local partnership with CPS Energy, EDL and Republic Services, with renewable natural gas produced from this site supplying more than half of the fuel used by our fleet over the past year. By using local renewable resources to power our buses, we not only enhance mobility for our customers but also support economic growth and environmental sustainability.”