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DTE Biomass Energy continues to bring innovative business opportunities to dairy farmers and renewable energy projects to the state of Wisconsin. The company announced today that it has commenced operations at a new dairy-based renewable natural gas (RNG) processing facility at Statz Brothers, Inc., two dairy farms in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin.

In 2019, DTE Biomass Energy, a non-utility business of DTE Energy (NYSE: DTE), launched the first dairy-based RNG project in Wisconsin, (located at the Dairy Dreams farm in Casco). The Statz Brothers project is DTE Biomass Energy’s fourth dairy-based RNG facility Wisconsin.

Manure produced by the cow herds at the Statz Brothers Farms is collected in anaerobic digesters, where methane gas is created and captured. The methane is then refined to meet pipeline-quality standards and piped to a nearby natural gas transmission line where it is injected for use by compressed natural gas vehicles.

Converting dairy waste to RNG is a win-win for farmers because it creates a new revenue stream and reduces the farms’ overall environmental impact. Leaving manure to decompose naturally releases methane directly into the atmosphere. DTE’s process captures the methane and decreases the farms’ overall greenhouse gas footprint while providing a clean, sustainable vehicle fuel that displaces fossil-based gasoline or diesel fuel.  

In the coming weeks, DTE Biomass Energy is expected to begin operating RNG facilities at three other dairy farms throughout Wisconsin.

DTE Biomass Energy is a wholly-owned subsidiary of DTE Energy and part of DTE’s Power and Industrial group, which specializes in renewable energy projects across the United States.