Waga Energy to install gas upgrading technology at Canadian landfill

Waga Energy has been chosen by the Mauricie Residual Materials Management Board (RGMRM) to deploy its gas upgrading solution at a landfill in Quebec, Canada.

The green gas produced at the Saint-Étienne-des-Grès landfill will be purchased by Energir, the largest gas distribution company in the province, and injected into its on-site gas grid. This project will be the first in Canada to use the WAGABOX® technology, developed by Waga Energy, to recover landfill gas in the form of renewable natural gas (RNG).

Under the agreement signed in March, Waga Energy will buy the landfill gas from RGMRM for at least 20 years. Waga Energy will generate income by selling its RNG production to Energir. Before this project, the landfill gas at the landfill was captured and burned.

Designed to process 3,400 cubic metres of biogas per hour, the WAGABOX unit will produce 44,000 MMBtus of renewable gas per year, equivalent to the annual consumption of 8,000 local households. The project is estimated to prevent the release of 23,000 tons of CO2 per year into the atmosphere.

Mathieu Lefebvre, president and co-founder of Waga Energy, said: “Thanks to the WAGABOX solution, hundreds of landfill sites across the US and Canada will be able to produce RNG, contribute to the energy transition, and generate a new revenue stream, without the need for investment, and free from additional operating constraints.”

“This contract is the result of an initiative undertaken several months ago to identify the best technology to enable us to use our landfill gas to its full potential,” commented Michel Angers, president of RGMRM.

“Thanks to the WAGABOX technology, treating our gas is no longer an expense, it is a new income stream, and more importantly, it is yet another step towards a more sustainable approach to landfill management. The project fits perfectly with the government’s greenhouse gas reduction objectives and we are proud to contribute to Quebec’s energy transition.”

The WAGABOX unit will be built by a local company under the supervision of Waga Energy’s Canadian subsidiary, except for the cryogenic distillation module, which will be imported from France. The project is scheduled to be completed by 2022.