The Port of Seattle is pushing to make Seattle-Tacoma International Airport the nation’s first airport heated entirely by renewable natural gas.
The Port announced a Request for Proposals last week, calling for renewable natural gas service to supply Sea-Tac Airport’s boilers and bus fueling system – which is responsible for more than 80 percent of the Port-owned emissions – replacing all of the current fossil natural gas. How much the project will cost or where the RNG would be sourced from will depend on the proposals the Port receives. If proposers offer a full replacement of the Port’s natural gas supply, it will result in greenhouse gas emissions reductions of 18,000 metric tons per year, Port of Seattle said. This reduction is equivalent to the emissions from 4,500 cars or 900 U.S. households.
The RFP was released last week with responses due April 12, 2019. The Port expects to review submissions and to award a contract in late 2019.
“The Port can play a major role in creating a renewable natural gas market because we offer a stable, long-term use of gas,” said Arlyn Purcell, director of aviation environment and sustainability, Port of Seattle. “If we can attract a project developer to supply the airport, this will spur more opportunities to feed the current gas pipeline with RNG rather than have landfills or digesters flare the gas on-site or allowing their methane emissions to escape into the air.”
The Port of Seattle has adopted aggressive greenhouse gas reduction goals under its Century Agenda, with the aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its own operations by 50 percent from 2005 levels by 2030, and to be carbon neutral or carbon negative by 2050. Replacing fossil natural gas with RNG would put the Port ahead of its 2030 goal, and well on the way to achieving the 2050 goal.
