Biogas Report Identified Major Utility Growth Potential

Wastewater facilities can expand energy production by capturing an additional 70 billion cubic feet of biogas.

Updated on Oct. 5, 2026 in Utilities

Isometric editorial illustration of a cylindrical industrial digester tank and piping, representing wastewater infrastructure capacity. — A recent American Biogas Council report identifies 1,213 wastewater facilities with the capacity to significantly expand renewable energy production through increased biogas capture. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Should your local community expand efforts to convert organic waste into usable energy?

The American Biogas Council recently published a comprehensive study identifying 1,213 wastewater facilities currently using anaerobic digestion to capture biogas. This infrastructure represents 24% of the surveyed facilities and offers significant potential for expanded renewable energy generation.

Why it matters

The report highlights a substantial opportunity for wastewater facilities to increase energy self-sufficiency and process external organic waste. By converting organic material into energy, operators can move from treating waste to serving as regional power generation hubs.

Current infrastructure captures 100.8 billion cubic feet of biogas, enough to power 1.1 million homes, while untapped potential exists to reach 172 billion cubic feet annually. Currently, 139 facilities accept outside organic material for co-digestion.

The players

American Biogas Council

A national trade association representing the biogas industry through advocacy, research, and technical support for project developers and operators.

The details

Anaerobic digestion utilizes biological processes to break down organic waste, producing biogas that can be converted into electricity, heat, or renewable natural gas. With 89% of current electricity generation used on-site, many facilities already function as micro-utilities. Expanding co-digestion programs allows these sites to accept outside organic matter, creating a new revenue stream while increasing their total output of renewable energy.

1914: The earliest identified facility with an anaerobic digester began operation in New York.
2024-2026: The American Biogas Council conducted its 18-month facility study.
October 5, 2026: The American Biogas Council report was published.

Market Landscape

This study provides a technical baseline for the nation's digester infrastructure, which is increasingly critical for meeting federal renewable energy mandates. It extends the industry's historical precedent of using wastewater facilities for localized power generation.

Operators of wastewater facilities should evaluate their capacity for accepting outside organic waste as a potential secondary revenue source. Management should review internal power consumption data against these benchmarks to determine if investing in digester capacity is viable.

The takeaway

The data confirms that most high-volume facilities are already utilizing anaerobic digestion, making future growth dependent on optimizing co-digestion capacity. Operators should track the conversion rates of their current digesters as a key metric for determining future equipment upgrades.