Greeley-based Swift & Co., the world’s second-largest processor of fresh beef and pork products, and Environmental Power Corp., a provider of renewable biofuels, have signed an agreement to use renewable gas at Swift’s beef-processing plant in Grand Island, Neb.
Under the terms of the 15-year agreement, Environmental Power’s Golden-based subsidiary Microgy Inc. will build, own and operate a gas-production facility and sell its gas to Swift.
The gas-production facility will consist of two 1.2 million-gallon digesters that will consume wastes generated by the Grand Island plant and that will be able to produce up to 250,000 million BTU per year – the equivalent of about 1.8 million gallons of heating oil.
By using wastes to generate power, Swift will reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and reduce the volume of byproducts.
The two companies will work closely to identify, evaluate and develop projects at Swift’s other North American beef and pork production facilities.
