Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) Thursday issued a request for information (RFI) to identify partners for a demonstration project reviewing technologies to produce biomethane. The cow dung-to-usable gas process can produce pipeline-quality natural gas, according to PG&E.

The utility has scheduled a forum on March 5 to answer questions about the RFI and provide the chance to meet some potential project partners. Firms and individuals wanting to register for the forum can do so online until Feb. 22 at www.pge.com under “Pipeline” and “RFI.”

PG&E officials see “tremendous opportunity” to capture gas from biomass as a means of meeting the state’s climate change emission-reduction goals. “With the RFI, we hope to identify promising biomethanation technologies and understand what the market needs for support,” said PG&E’s Fong Wan, vice president for energy procurement.

It is PG&E’s contention that in California and throughout the West there are large quantities of biomass, which could make a significant contribution to meeting California renewable energy portfolio goals, along with reducing greenhouse gas emissions, aiding wildfire prevention efforts and improving air quality and landfill disposal reductions.

In August the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved a 10-year contract between PG&E and Microgy Inc. for up to 2.8 Bcf of “renewable natural gas” (see Daily GPI and Power Market Today, Aug. 24, 2007).

Biomethane is pipeline-quality gas derived from biomass as defined by the California Energy Commission (CEC). The state’s definition includes any organic material not derived from fossil fuels, including agricultural crops, agricultural and forestry wastes/ residues and construction wood wastes, among others. The other step — biomethanation — is the process of converting biomass to biomethane.

PG&E expects that emerging technologies in this field eventually may increase conversion efficiency, expand the range of useful feedstock and improve the quality of biomethane products.

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