The facility will capture and purify landfill methane for delivery through existing pipelines, supplying a cleaner fuel option for buses and trucks. The groundbreaking ceremony marked the official start of construction on the project, first announced in November 2025, with operations expected to commence in 2027. It featured an unveiling of new site renderings and additional project details, alongside remarks from key stakeholders behind the development.
“Today is an exciting day for Nopetro and for Manatee County as we’re turning something that was once considered waste into a valuable energy resource for Florida,” said Jorge Herrera , CEO of Nopetro Energy.
“We’re taking landfill gas that would otherwise be wasted, turning it into renewable natural gas and putting it into the pipeline to serve Florida’s transportation needs.”
Owned and operated by Nopetro, the new facility will capture methane gas from the Lena Road Landfill, produced as buried waste decomposes,and upgrade it into high-quality RNG, a carbon net-neutral fuel derived from waste material.
The captured biogas will undergo a purification process before being injected into existing pipeline infrastructure, delivering a domestic, affordable and cleaner fuel option for buses and trucks while helping improve local air quality.
“By turning waste into worth, this project transforms a landfill byproduct into a valuable community asset,” said Patrick Shea, Utilities Director for Manatee County.
Once operational, the facility is expected to generate enough renewable energy to power more than 4,500 Florida homes each year while eliminating emissions equivalent to 5.3 million gallons of gasoline, an amount equivalent to the carbon captured by approximately 22,000 acres of forest.
The Manatee County project expands Nopetro's existing renewable energy platform, which includes its first landfill gas-to-RNG facility in Vero Beach, Florida, and 15 RNG fueling stations across the state.
Nopetro has partnered with Johnson Controls, which provided preliminary design, engineering and strategic consulting for the RNG facility and will deliver measurement and verification services for the duration of the project.
