LNG

Clean Energy Fuels Corp., the California-based supplier of liquefied natural gas made from waste and with about 590 filling stations across the US and Canada backed by UK major BP, has created a new renewable natural gas production facility at Lake Norden in South Dakota.

Shell Petroleum NV, a wholly owned subsidiary of Shell plc, has completed the $2 billion acquisition of Europe’s largest renewable natural gas (RNG) company, Nature Energy Biogas.

Based in Denmark, Nature Energy is a producer of RNG from agricultural, industrial and household waste.

Shell has now completed the takeover from the previous owners who were three equity and pension funds, Davidson Kempner Capital Management LP, Pioneer Point Partners and Sampension.

“By purchasing the shares in Nature Energy, Shell has acquired the largest producer of RNG in Europe, its portfolio of operating plants, associated feedstock supply and infrastructure,” said Shell.

“We also acquire its pipeline of growth projects and its in-house expertise in the design, construction, and operation of innovative and differentiated RNG plant technology,” added Shell.

Value chain

Shell said the acquisition supported Shell’s ambitions to build an integrated RNG value chain at global scale and to profitably grow its low-carbon offerings to customers across multiple sectors.

Nature Energy will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Shell, initially under its existing brand.

Shell said Nature Energy would now add a European production platform and growth pipeline to Shell’s existing RNG projects in the United States.

The Danish company will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Shell, initially under its existing brand.

Shell noted that Nature Energy was founded in 1979 as a natural gas distributor.

The company established its first biogas plant in Denmark in 2015 and now has 14 operating plants with associated infrastructure, feedstock arrangements and current production of around 6.5 million MMBtu per annum.

The company also has a line of around 30 new plant projects in Europe and North America.

More than a third of these projects are in medium to late development stage in Denmark, the Netherlands and France and can deliver up to 9.2M MMBtu per year.

Clean Energy Fuels Corp., the California-based producer and marketer of liquefied natural gas made from waste, said it was continuing to increase its customer base and has new production plans.