Sevana Bioenergy, founded in 2017 in Boise, Idaho, is redefining the way the United States approaches organic waste and renewable energy. With a focus on large-scale anaerobic digestion, the company transforms agricultural and food waste into renewable natural gas (RNG) and nutrient-rich soil amendments. This process captures methane—an exceptionally potent greenhouse gas—that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere, turning it into a clean, usable energy source. RNG produced by Sevana can be used for transportation fuel, electricity generation, and other industrial applications, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and supporting climate change mitigation efforts.
From its inception, Sevana has combined technological innovation with practical energy solutions. By leveraging advanced European anaerobic digestion technologies, the company ensures efficient production of biogas while creating tangible environmental benefits. Its model simultaneously addresses waste management, energy production, and soil health, positioning Sevana as a vital contributor to North America’s renewable energy infrastructure. Through collaborations with agricultural communities, the firm demonstrates how private enterprise can drive both environmental stewardship and economic opportunity.
The company’s growth trajectory, highlighted by strategic acquisitions and institutional investments, reflects the expanding role of renewable natural gas in the energy transition. By offering scalable solutions to the waste-to-energy challenge, Sevana Bioenergy has become a model for integrating technology, sustainability, and community engagement.
Core Operations
Sevana Bioenergy’s primary operations revolve around the design, construction, and management of large anaerobic digestion facilities. These facilities process organic waste streams—including dairy manure, food scraps, and agricultural residues—under oxygen-free conditions. Microorganisms naturally break down the material, producing biogas, which contains methane, carbon dioxide, and trace impurities.
Sevana employs advanced digester technologies that optimize microbial efficiency, ensuring maximum methane capture. The resulting biogas is purified and upgraded to renewable natural gas standards, making it suitable for use as transportation fuel, electricity generation, and other industrial applications.
The solid and liquid byproducts of the digestion process are converted into organic soil amendments, offering farmers a sustainable alternative to chemical fertilizers. This circular approach—waste converted to energy and soil enhancement—provides multiple environmental benefits. It reduces methane emissions, improves soil health, and diverts organic waste from landfills.
Key Projects
A milestone in Sevana’s growth was the acquisition of the Rialto Bioenergy Facility in California in June 2024. The Rialto facility, capable of processing substantial volumes of organic waste, allowed Sevana to expand its West Coast RNG production and contribute directly to state-mandated waste diversion initiatives.
Following the acquisition, the company invested over $5 million in capital improvements and entered a 10-year operations and maintenance agreement with Anaergia, ensuring the facility operates efficiently and reliably. The Rialto facility is now capable of producing approximately 1 million MMBtu of RNG annually, displacing significant volumes of fossil fuels and reducing greenhouse gas emissions on a meaningful scale.
This project exemplifies Sevana’s strategic approach: combining technical expertise, operational excellence, and community engagement to address both environmental and energy challenges. By working closely with municipalities, waste management companies, and agricultural partners, Sevana ensures that projects are sustainable, scalable, and economically viable.
Leadership and Vision
Sevana’s leadership team, led by CEO John McKinney and President Steve Compton, brings decades of experience in biogas and renewable energy from both Europe and North America. Under their guidance, the company has developed a strong reputation for operational excellence and innovation in the RNG sector.
McKinney and Compton emphasize partnerships with agricultural communities, recognizing that local engagement is key to long-term project success. Their leadership strategy integrates technical expertise with financial and operational discipline, allowing Sevana to pursue both expansion and environmental impact simultaneously.
Institutional support, such as the majority stake and capital commitment from the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, provides the company with the resources to scale projects across the continent. This combination of visionary leadership and financial backing positions Sevana as a leader in the renewable natural gas market.
Technology and Innovation
At the heart of Sevana’s operations is anaerobic digestion, a biological process in which microorganisms decompose organic matter in the absence of oxygen, producing biogas. Sevana leverages advanced European digester technology to optimize methane production and biogas quality.
The company focuses on maximizing efficiency and scalability. Digesters are carefully designed to handle varying organic feedstocks, maintain consistent microbial activity, and ensure that biogas can be upgraded to RNG specifications. This approach allows Sevana to maintain high operational reliability while meeting stringent environmental standards.
In addition to RNG, the company’s facilities produce nutrient-rich digestate, which can be applied as a soil amendment. This byproduct returns valuable nutrients to the land, supporting sustainable agriculture and reducing dependence on synthetic fertilizers. The dual output of energy and soil enhancement underscores the company’s commitment to a circular economy model.
Environmental and Community Impact
Sevana Bioenergy’s projects provide multiple environmental benefits. By capturing methane from organic waste, the company prevents this potent greenhouse gas from entering the atmosphere. RNG production displaces fossil fuels, further contributing to carbon emissions reductions.
Community engagement is central to Sevana’s strategy. The company partners with farmers, municipalities, and local governments to provide sustainable waste solutions that also generate economic benefits. Farmers benefit from reduced waste management costs, energy revenues, and improved soil quality, while municipalities gain access to reliable organic waste diversion options.
Sevana’s work demonstrates the potential for renewable natural gas to address multiple challenges simultaneously: waste reduction, renewable energy production, and environmental protection. The company serves as a model for how technology and community collaboration can create scalable solutions for a sustainable future.
Challenges and Opportunities
While the RNG market offers significant environmental and economic opportunities, it is also complex and competitive. Sevana must navigate evolving regulations, feedstock availability, and market demand for RNG.
Competition comes not only from other RNG producers but also from alternative decarbonization strategies, including electrification, hydrogen, and carbon capture technologies. Nevertheless, RNG has distinct advantages in sectors that are difficult to electrify, such as heavy transportation and industrial processes.
Sevana’s strategy of combining technological excellence, strong leadership, and institutional backing positions the company to navigate these challenges. By continuing to expand its operations and develop scalable projects, Sevana is well-placed to capitalize on the growing demand for sustainable energy solutions.
Conclusion
Sevana Bioenergy illustrates the transformative potential of renewable natural gas and anaerobic digestion. From its origins in Boise to its acquisition of the Rialto facility and expansion across North America, the company demonstrates how organic waste can be converted into valuable energy resources while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Through innovative technology, strong leadership, and partnerships with communities and investors, Sevana is setting a benchmark in the RNG sector. Its work provides a blueprint for the integration of sustainability, energy production, and economic opportunity—a model that may become increasingly vital as the global energy transition accelerates.
FAQs
What is renewable natural gas (RNG)?
RNG is methane captured from organic sources, purified, and used as a low-carbon alternative to fossil natural gas.
How does Sevana Bioenergy produce RNG?
Sevana uses anaerobic digesters to break down organic waste, capturing biogas and upgrading it into RNG while creating nutrient-rich soil amendments.
Why is the Rialto Bioenergy Facility important?
The Rialto acquisition expanded Sevana’s West Coast operations and increased its capacity to produce RNG from organic waste.
Who invests in Sevana Bioenergy?
The Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan holds a majority stake, supporting the company’s North American expansion.
What environmental benefits does Sevana provide?
Sevana reduces methane emissions, displaces fossil fuels, and creates soil amendments from organic waste, promoting sustainability and clean energy.
