Site preparation is underway for a new anaerobic digestion plant in Somerset County thanks to a private partnership between enviro-tech company CleanBay Renewables Inc. and construction and engineering company Kiewit Corporation.

Through the partnership, Kiewit will design and build CleanBay’s bio-refinery in Westover, which will have the ability to recycle more than 150,000 tons of chicken litter annually for conversion to natural gas and fertilizer product. CleanBay will invest $200 million in capital for the project.

“The partnership with Kiewit brings CleanBay’s vision of a sustainable economic model to produce energy, process waste and return controlled-release nutrients to crop lands for food production, one step closer to reality,” said Thomas Spangler, CleanBay Renewables’ Executive Chairman.

Anaerobic digestion generates nutrient-rich digestate and biogases such as methane and carbon dioxide when microorganisms break down organic materials such as food scraps, animal manure, oils, and certain biosolids.

For more information, view the press release.