Smithfield Foods, Inc., Smithfield, Va., completed construction of a low-pressure natural gas transmission line connecting a Smithfield hog farm located in Milan, Mo., with the city of Milan’s natural gas pipeline. Renewable natural gas (RNG) produced at the hog farm will be directly injected into the natural gas transmission line flowing into Milan’s natural gas distribution system prior to delivery.

Smithfield’s “manure-to-energy” projects in Missouri, which were announced just a few months ago, are part of Smithfield Renewables, the company’s platform to unify and accelerate its carbon reduction and renewable energy efforts and achieve its goal to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 25% by 2025.

“As we work to expand our ‘manure-to-energy’ projects nationwide, it is inspiring to witness the fruition of our renewable energy efforts in Missouri,” says Kraig Westerbeek, senior director of Smithfield Renewables and hog production environmental affairs. “We are proud that these efforts allow the locations we call home to contribute to a sustainable energy future while curbing our carbon footprint.”

Smithfield installed infrastructure to capture methane emissions from its Northern Missouri hog farms and convert them into pipeline-quality natural gas through its Monarch Bioenergy joint venture with Roeslein Alternative Energy, St. Louis.

This project is part of Smithfield Renewables’ nationwide expansion, which the company announced last year. Over the next 10 years, Smithfield will implement “manure-to-energy” projects across 90% of its hog finishing spaces in North Carolina, Utah, Virginia, and nearly all of its hog finishing spaces in Missouri.