Waste to Watts: Biogas Partnerships Gain Ground

New partnerships push biogas from landfills and farms into the mainstream of U.S. clean energy

10 Oct 2025

A quiet revolution is stirring beneath America’s landfills and dairy farms. The biogas industry, once a niche experiment, is gathering force through a series of high-profile alliances that promise to turn waste into a serious source of clean power.

In New Jersey, OPAL Fuels, South Jersey Industries, and the Atlantic County Utilities Authority have launched the state’s first public renewable natural gas facility in Egg Harbor Township. Now in commercial operation, it captures methane from landfill emissions and transforms it into pipeline-quality fuel capable of powering thousands of homes.

Across the country in Iowa, France-based Waga Energy has activated its Wagabox system at the Davenport landfill. The technology uses advanced gas separation processes to capture renewable fuel from decomposing waste with remarkable efficiency. Meanwhile, Clean Energy Fuels and Maas Energy Works are joining forces on a network of dairy-based RNG plants across the South and Midwest, a push that could mark one of the industry’s largest growth waves yet.

These efforts signal more than just new projects. “The industry is approaching an inflection point,” says energy analyst Rachel Moore. Developers, utilities, and waste operators are beginning to collaborate across the entire renewable gas chain, from collection to distribution, unlocking new economies of scale.

Policy tailwinds are helping too. Federal renewable fuel credits and state-level clean energy incentives have made projects more profitable, while steady technology gains are lowering production costs. Challenges remain, from complex permitting to securing consistent waste supplies, but the sense of momentum is unmistakable.

By 2030, analysts expect renewable natural gas to supply a meaningful share of America’s heating and transportation fuels, edging out fossil gas and creating local jobs along the way.

Once overshadowed by wind and solar, biogas is finally finding its moment. With capital flowing and partnerships expanding, America’s clean energy future may increasingly be powered by what it used to throw away.