US could boost biogas projects eight‑fold with existing waste feedstocks

According to a report from the American Biogas Council (ABC) published on 4 June, the United States has the potential to increase its biogas facilities from the current nearly 2,500 to around 19,500 - an eight‑fold expansion - by using existing organic waste resources.
ABC’s findings reveal that over 100 million tonnes of feedstock, sourced from surplus food, livestock manure, and sewage sludge, could support an additional 17,000 biogas installations.
This growth could generate approximately 255 billion kilowatt-hours of renewable electricity each year, sufficient to power around 23.7 million homes or fuel nearly 40.4 million vehicles annually.
California, a leading biogas producer, could process a further 410.5 billion cubic feet of biogas - five times its current capacity. This could supply 14 percent of the state's natural gas demand.
Iowa, with 45 existing facilities, could build nearly 2,900 more, tapping into its vast agricultural by-products and representing just 2 percent of its potential biogas capacity.
Vermont is the most advanced in terms of deployment relative to potential, having achieved 36 percent of its full biogas capacity.
Other states such as Texas, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia also hold high levels of untapped biogas potential, according to the ABC.
In addition to clean energy, full biogas infrastructure build-out could bring considerable environmental and economic gains.
The ABC estimates it would reduce greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to the annual carbon sequestration of 11 million acres of forest - comparable to the total woodland area in Washington state.
Moreover, such expansion could attract investment of around US $450 billion (approximately €415 billion), create about 900,000 construction jobs and generate 45,000 permanent roles.
Patrick Serfass, executive director of the ABC, stated: “For the billions of tonnes of waste the nation produces each year, the US has too few biogas systems to manage it. This new data reveals the immense benefit that building more biogas systems would bring.”
The report also stresses the importance of maintaining policy incentives, such as alternative fuels tax credits, in future federal legislation.
With several Republican senators signalling support for these extensions, there are signs of growing momentum for the sector.