Energy producer Dominion Energy and U.S. food processor Smithfield Foods said on Wednesday they have completed a renewable natural gas project aimed at converting methane from hog farming into renewable natural gas (RNG).

The companies said the project, executed through their joint venture Align Renewable Natural Gas, is the first large-scale effort in Utah to capture hog farming's methane emissions and convert them for use in homes, businesses and transportation.

"At full capacity, the project will produce enough RNG to heat more than 3,000 homes and businesses and reduce annual emissions from participating farms by more than 100,000 metric tons," the companies said in a statement, also touting the benefits of lower costs for farmers to manage manure.

Smithfield Foods is a fully owned unit of Hong Kong-based WH Group, the world's largest pork producer.

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