Kinetrex Proposing $20M LNG Plant Investment
Indianapolis-based Kinetrex Energy is planning to invest $20 million into a new plant to turn methane gas captured at landfills and by anaerobic digesters into liquefied natural gas. The former Citizens Energy Group subsidiary has not yet detailed where in central Indiana the plant will be or how many jobs it could create, but says the facility could be operational in 2019.
The plant is expected to produce 7 million gallons of LNG per year for transportation fuel. Kinetrex calls the kind of renewable natural gas it produces "the cleanest fuel for Class 8 trucks." It says some soon-to-be-released engine technology — such as the ISX12N that Columbus-based Cummins Inc. (NYSE: CMI) is working on — could have a negative carbon footprint by repurposing methane that would’ve escaped into the atmosphere.
Kinetrex was acquired in January by Chicago-based private firm Parallel49 Equity. In addition to its main office in downtown Indianapolis, Kinetrex has two current LNG operations in Marion County.