Mojave Anaerobic Digestion Facility: LAFCo Clears Water Service for 121-Acre Organics Plant

An organic waste plant that Kern County approved in 2023 takes a step toward construction at Silver Queen Road and United Street.

The Mojave anaerobic digestion facility is a planned organic waste plant on about 121 acres at Silver Queen Road and United Street in Mojave, Kern County, California. Kern County approved it in June 2023. On Aug. 19, 2026, the Kern Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo) voted 8-0 to annex the site to the Mojave Public Utility District for water service.

Key takeaways

• Kern LAFCo approved Mojave Public Utility District Annexation No. 29 (Proposal 1874, Resolution 26-20) on Aug. 19, 2026, by an 8-0 vote. The annexation adds about 121.42 acres to the district for water service.
• The Kern County Board of Supervisors approved Specific Plan Amendment No. 27 and Conditional Use Permit No. 69 (Map 213) on June 27, 2023. The approval moved the 117-acre site from a heavy industrial map code (7.3) to a new waste facilities code (3.7).
• The County relied on an addendum to the Mojave Specific Plan environmental impact report (EIR), SCH 2002011089, and adopted a Statement of Overriding Considerations, according to its Notice of Determination.
• True North Renewable Energy said in 2021 that the plant could process 300,000 tons of organic waste a year and turn it into renewable natural gas and compost.
• The company’s 2021 timeline called for construction in 2023 and operations in 2025. No updated schedule is public.

Project at a glance

Item	Detail
Project	High-solids anaerobic digestion (HSAD) and aerated static pile composting facility for food and green material (County title: Organics Renewable Energy Project)
Location	Southeast corner of Silver Queen Road and United Street, east of State Route 14 and south of Mojave’s business district, unincorporated Kern County (ZIP 93501)
Parcels	APNs 429-101-30, -31, -32, -33, -34 and -36; Township 10 North, Range 12 West, Section 3
Size	About 121.42 acres in the LAFCo annexation; 117 acres in the County’s 2023 Notice of Determination
Applicant	True North Renewable Energy, LLC (County approval, 2023). The 2026 LAFCo agenda and minutes do not name the applicant
Jurisdictions	Kern County (land use and CEQA lead agency); Kern LAFCo (annexation); Mojave Public Utility District (water)
Case numbers	Specific Plan Amendment No. 27, Map 213; Conditional Use Permit No. 69, Map 213; LAFCo Proposal 1874; Annexation No. 29; Resolution 26-20; SCH 2002011089
Environmental review	Addendum to the Mojave Specific Plan EIR (certified Oct. 28, 2003); Statement of Overriding Considerations adopted June 27, 2023
Capacity (company figure)	300,000 tons of organic waste per year (2021 and 2023 company statements)
Status	County approval June 27, 2023; LAFCo annexation approved Aug. 19, 2026, 8-0
Next step	Completion of the annexation once conditions are met, then construction and operating permits. No construction date announced

What is the Mojave anaerobic digestion facility?

It is an organic waste processing plant planned for roughly 121 acres at the corner of Silver Queen Road and United Street. Kern LAFCo’s Aug. 19, 2026 agenda describes a “high solids anaerobic digestion (HSAD) facility with aerated static pile composting for the management and processing of residential, commercial, and industrial organic food and green material.”

In practice, trucks deliver food scraps and yard trimmings. Digestion breaks the material down without oxygen and yields biogas, which can be cleaned into renewable natural gas (RNG). “High solids” means the system digests fairly dry, stackable material rather than a slurry. The leftovers are composted in piles with air pushed through them.

When True North Renewable Energy introduced the plan in 2021, the Antelope Valley Press reported that the site could process “300,000 tons of waste per year, Lauro said, enough to meet the diversion needs of all of Kern County.” Frank Lauro was the company’s senior project development manager. The paper said the gas could move through existing pipelines or fuel vehicles on site, and the second product would be compost.

What did Kern LAFCo approve on Aug. 19, 2026?

LAFCo approved Proposal 1874, Mojave Public Utility District Annexation No. 29, under Resolution 26-20. An annexation moves land inside a district’s boundary so the district can serve it. Here, the stated purpose was the “extension of water service,” according to the meeting minutes.

The commission’s executive officer recommended approval, and the vote was 8-0 with one commissioner absent. The approval carries two conditions: “compliance with the EIR mitigation measures and execution of the indemnification agreement.” The agenda noted 100% landowner consent, and the applicant asked the commission to waive notice, hearing and protest hearing. Neither the agenda nor the minutes names the applicant.

The district provides “water supply and wastewater services” from six wells and can buy supplemental water from the Antelope Valley-East Kern Water Agency, according to its website. LAFCo also reviewed the district’s services at the same meeting (Proposal 1875).

Where is the site, and what was planned there before?

The site is the southeast corner of Silver Queen Road and United Street, east of State Route 14. The County’s Notice of Determination lists assessor parcels 429-101-30, -31, -32, -33, -34 and -36. The Antelope Valley Press called the location “south of Mojave’s business district” and “near a landfill.”

Before this project, the land was planned for heavy industry. The site carried map code 7.3 (heavy industrial) under the Mojave Specific Plan, and the conditional use permit was issued in the M-3 PD District, Kern County’s heavy industrial zone with a precise development overlay. On June 27, 2023, the Board of Supervisors approved Specific Plan Amendment No. 27 and Conditional Use Permit No. 69, both on Map 213. The amendment added “a waste facilities designation,” map code 3.7, to the specific plan and applied it to the site.

What environmental review covered the project?

The County did not prepare a new stand-alone EIR. Its 2023 notice says an addendum was prepared to the EIR for the Mojave Specific Plan, State Clearinghouse number SCH 2002011089. That plan covers about 31,000 acres around Mojave, and its EIR was certified on Oct. 28, 2003. The notice checks the box saying the project will have a significant effect on the environment. The Board made mitigation measures conditions of approval and adopted a Statement of Overriding Considerations.

That statement means the Board accepted significant effects that could not be fully mitigated because of the project’s benefits. The notice does not list which impacts those were. LAFCo’s minutes refer to the same EIR and statement. For landowners, the broader point is that CEQA review and entitlements can lean on an older area-wide EIR when a project fits an existing plan.

Who is behind the Mojave organics plant?

The applicant on the 2023 approval is True North Renewable Energy, LLC. In an April 20, 2022 partnership announcement, the company said it “develops, owns, and operates” organics-to-energy plants, “including large scale, regional high-solids anaerobic digestion (AD) infrastructure.” The Weitz Company and DRANCO were named as its construction and technology partners for projects in the western United States.

The Antelope Valley Press quoted Lauro and Bernard Fenner, the company’s vice president of energy services, when the Mojave plan surfaced in 2021. At that time, the company expected to start construction in 2023 and open in 2025.

After the County approved the permit, the Bioenergy Association of California reported on Aug. 21, 2023, that True North was developing two more facilities, in Imperial County, California, and Yuma County, Arizona. It said each of the three “will require $250 million in investment” and that together they would “generate hundreds of good jobs in economically disadvantaged communities.” Waste Today reported the same figures. These are company statements, not findings in County or LAFCo records.

True North has not published a newer public update. LAFCo’s 2026 documents do not name the applicant, so they do not show whether True North still leads the project or has brought in a partner or buyer.

Why does SB 1383 drive demand for organics facilities like Mojave’s?

SB 1383, California’s short-lived climate pollutant law, requires cities and counties to divert organic waste from landfills, and diversion needs somewhere to go. The law set a 2025 target of “75% less organic waste sent to landfills” and “20% of unsold, still-edible food sent to food recovery organizations,” according to CalRecycle. The agency says “all jurisdictions need to provide organic waste collection services to all residents and businesses, and recycle organic waste.” For the business-side rules, see our guide to SB 1383 organic waste requirements.

Collection only works if there is a place to take the material. CalRecycle says “counties must take the lead to plan for needed organic waste recycling and food recovery capacity.” When the County approved the project, the Bioenergy Association of California said it “will help Kern County to meet the requirement of SB 1383 (Lara, 2016) to divert 75 percent of organic landfill waste.”

The 2025 target date has passed, but the collection mandate remains. Cities and haulers still need processing capacity, and a large plant in Mojave would compete for those tons.

What does the Mojave anaerobic digestion facility mean for East Kern industrial land?

The plant adds no leasable warehouse space and will not move Bakersfield vacancy figures. It is a special-purpose, owner-operated facility. Its value for landowners is the path it shows for raw industrial acreage around Mojave: industrial zoning, environmental coverage under an existing specific plan EIR, and water through annexation. Our guide to industrial zoning in Bakersfield and Kern County covers the zoning side.

In our view, water is often the gating item. Land outside a water district’s boundary can be zoned for industry and still be hard to finance or build. An annexation like this one turns a desert parcel into a serviceable industrial site.

The project joins other large East Kern approvals. Pacific Steel Group’s rebar mill sits on 174 acres about 8 miles southeast of Mojave, and the company told Recycling International it expects to begin ramp-up by July 2027. On Sept. 29, 2026, supervisors approved Terra-Gen’s Galaxy Solar project on about 3,519 acres that PV Tech places on both sides of Silver Queen Road south of Highway 58.

No major brokerage tracks Mojave, so Bakersfield is the closest benchmark. One national brokerage’s Q2 2026 Bakersfield industrial report put availability at 10.1%, with average asking rent of $0.71 per square foot per month, triple net. Another regional brokerage report measured vacancy at 9.55% and noted that “specialized and flex properties maintain stronger occupancy and rental rates” than logistics buildings. For help reading numbers like these, see how to read an industrial market report.

Locally, the bigger effects are trucks, jobs and service demand. A regional organics plant brings inbound hauling, equipment maintenance and outbound compost. That can support demand for yards and small shop buildings near State Routes 14 and 58.

What concerns and conditions come with the approval?

The County made mitigation measures conditions of approval, and LAFCo tied the annexation to compliance with them plus an indemnification agreement. Every landowner in the annexation area consented.

Odor, dust and truck traffic are common concerns for composting and digestion plants, and they tend to come up as later permits are issued.

What happens next?

• Annexation completion: under state LAFCo law, an annexation becomes final when LAFCo records a certificate of completion after its conditions are met. LAFCo has not announced a completion date.
• Operating permits: a digestion and composting plant generally needs solid waste and air permits before it can accept material. No such permits for this site have been announced.
• Schedule: the 2021 plan called for construction in 2023 and operations in 2025. Both dates have passed, and no new construction start has been announced.

Frequently asked questions

What is being built at Silver Queen Road and United Street in Mojave?

The site is planned for an organic waste plant that combines high-solids anaerobic digestion with aerated static pile composting. Food and green waste would become renewable natural gas and compost. Kern County approved the project in June 2023, and the Mojave Public Utility District gained the roughly 121-acre site for water service through a Kern LAFCo vote on Aug. 19, 2026.

Who is developing the Mojave anaerobic digestion facility?

Kern County’s June 2023 approval names True North Renewable Energy, LLC as the applicant. The company announced the Mojave plan in 2021 and said it was also developing plants in Imperial County, California, and Yuma County, Arizona. LAFCo’s 2026 records do not name an applicant, so they do not show whether True North still leads the project.

Why did the Mojave organics site need a LAFCo annexation?

The site sits outside the Mojave Public Utility District’s boundary, and the district cannot extend water service to land it does not include. LAFCo approved adding about 121.42 acres on an 8-0 vote. The approval requires compliance with the project’s EIR mitigation measures and an indemnification agreement, and all landowners consented.

What is high-solids anaerobic digestion?

It is a process that breaks down food scraps and yard waste in a sealed system without oxygen, producing biogas that can be upgraded to renewable natural gas. High-solids systems work with relatively dry, stackable feedstock instead of a liquid slurry. At the Mojave site, the digested material would then be composted in piles that have air pushed through them.

How does SB 1383 relate to the Mojave facility?

SB 1383 set a 2025 goal of cutting organic waste sent to landfills by 75% and requires every jurisdiction to offer organic waste collection, according to CalRecycle. Collected material needs a processing plant. The Bioenergy Association of California said in 2023 that the Mojave project would help Kern County meet that requirement.

When will the Mojave anaerobic digestion facility open?

No opening date is public. In 2021, True North said it expected to start construction in 2023 and operate by 2025, and both dates have passed. The project has County land use approval and a LAFCo-approved water annexation, but no announced construction start.

Own land in Mojave, Rosamond or elsewhere in East Kern, or weighing a site that needs water service or a special-use permit? Call Kern CRE at 855-KERN-CRE (855-537-6273) or contact us. Get Kern County CRE news monthly: subscribe to the Kern CRE report.

Sources

1. Regular meeting agenda, Aug. 19, 2026 (Proposal 1874, Mojave PUD Annexation No. 29; Proposal 1875), Kern Local Agency Formation Commission, Aug. 19, 2026.
2. Meeting minutes, Aug. 19, 2026 (Resolution 26-20), Kern Local Agency Formation Commission, Aug. 19, 2026.
3. Organics Renewable Energy Project, Notice of Determination, SCH 2002011089, CEQAnet (Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation), received June 29, 2023.
4. Notice of Determination, Organics Renewable Energy Facility (Specific Plan Amendment No. 27; Conditional Use Permit No. 69), Kern County Board of Supervisors, June 2023.
5. Mojave Specific Plan, Draft EIR, SCH 2002011089, CEQAnet, received June 5, 2003.
6. Trash-to-fuel facility planned in Mojave, Antelope Valley Press, 2021.
7. True North Renewable Energy, The Weitz Company and DRANCO Announce Partnership, Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas, April 20, 2022.
8. True North Renewable Energy Received Permit for Anaerobic Digestion Plant in Kern County, Bioenergy Association of California, Aug. 21, 2023.
9. True North plans anaerobic digestion facility in Kern County, Waste Today, 2023.
10. About Us, Mojave Public Utility District.
11. California’s Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Reduction Strategy (SB 1383), CalRecycle.
12. Bakersfield Industrial MarketBeat Q2 2026, Cushman & Wakefield, Q2 2026.
13. Q2 2026 Bakersfield, CA Industrial Market Report, Lee & Associates, July 2026.
14. Notice of Availability for Public Review and Hearing, Mojave Micro Mill Draft EIR, Kern County Planning and Natural Resources Department, Nov. 2023.
15. Processing 400,000 tonnes of steel scrap in the Mojave Desert, Recycling International, March 19, 2026.
16. Galaxy Solar PV and Storage Project, Notice of Determination, SCH 2025081409, CEQAnet, received Oct. 1, 2026.
17. Kern County approves 600MW/4GWh solar-plus-storage project from Terra-Gen in California, PV Tech, Sept. 30, 2026.

About this article

Kern CRE prepared this article with help from AI research and writing tools. An editor reviewed the draft, checked its facts against the sources linked above and edited it for accuracy and clarity. Details come from public records and the sources cited; unless stated, Kern CRE and ASU Commercial were not involved in the transaction or project.