RICHMOND, Calif. — Waste-to-hydrogen developer Raven SR has secured a crucial air permit and permission to begin building its first commercial-scale facility in California, marking a major step toward bringing hydrogen fuel derived from organic waste into the mainstream renewable energy market.
The $75 million facility, located on the closed West Contra Costa Sanitary Landfill in Richmond, is being developed in partnership with national waste management company Republic Services. Raven SR will lease the property and receive biomass feedstock from Republic’s transfer station already operating at the landfill.
The facility is designed to process up to 99 wet tons of biomass per day, including yard waste, agricultural residue and untreated construction wood, but excluding food waste. Once operational, the plant is expected to generate up to 2,400 metric tons of hydrogen annually. Company CEO Matt Murdock said construction is slated to begin early next year and noted that the final Richmond permit “should be straightforward to attain.”
Raven SR, founded in 2018 in Wyoming, has spent recent years moving its patented waste-to-fuel technology toward commercial use. The company converts organic waste into synthetic gas and then into hydrogen fuel — without the need for fresh water, an important environmental consideration in drought-prone California. Raven says its approach offers higher efficiency than conventional hydrogen production methods.
The company’s partners and supporters include Samsung Ventures, Chevron New Energies — which holds a 50% equity stake — and early investor Hyzon Motors, which developed the U.S.’s first hydrogen fuel cell refuse truck before shutting down. Chevron plans to market fuel from the Richmond plant throughout Northern California.
Murdock said the company learned key business lessons by observing the rise and fall of other renewable hydrogen ventures. He emphasized two takeaways: “don’t be dependent on government subsidies and don’t load your venture with debt.” He added that Raven is backed largely by equity rather than loans, and although tax credits are available, Murdock said “they’re not necessary to make the Richmond facility pencil out.”
The facility footprint will cover about an acre and a half — half of which will accommodate truck traffic for material delivery and hydrogen distribution. Raven expects to produce 60% to 70% of the facility’s energy needs on-site, supplementing the rest from renewable sources.
Permitting the facility took over three years — longer than expected, according to Murdock. The company initially tried to secure a solid waste facility permit and hoped to accept food waste as a feedstock source. Local officials discouraged that option because “the material should be diverted to compost.” Raven then pivoted, applying for a biomass conversion facility permit instead.
Throughout the process, Raven continued to fine-tune its system to maximize output and lower costs. Murdock acknowledged that excitement for hydrogen was initially high when the project was announced, but that enthusiasm has slowed. The delay comes as hydrogen funding has stalled nationally, including the suspension of California’s hydrogen hub after losing $1.2 billion due to reduced federal support under the Trump administration.
Still, Raven believes its facility could help revive momentum. Murdock said Richmond’s fuel “can be priced competitively to traditional hydrocarbons,” and he hopes the facility’s launch — planned for 2027 — will accelerate industry confidence. Raven already has additional sites in development, including a project in Spain, and intends to scale production nationwide. The company believes its system can also be modified to produce sustainable aviation fuel, methanol, and other next-generation fuels.
The CEO sees the launch as a potential turning point: “If we can produce a low-cost hydrogen and get it into the market... that’s going to be a big deal,” Murdock said. “My hope is that we can start pushing the dominoes the other way, and people start coming back into the market.”
Originally reported by Jacob Wallace, Reporter in Waste Dive.
