May 24, 2023. Waga Energy, a global renewable energy company that specializes in upgrading landfill gas (LFG) to renewable natural gas (RNG), has commissioned a new facility at the Saint-Étienne-des-Grés landfill, located in Quebec, Canada and operated by Énercycle. Using the WAGABOX® technology, developed and patented by Waga Energy, LFG is upgraded to RNG, a renewable substitute for fossil-based natural gas. The RNG produced is sold to the local utility, Énergir, and injected directly into its natural gas distribution system.
This new WAGABOX® facility is the largest completed by Waga Energy to date. It is capable of processing 3,400 m3/h (>2,000 scfm) of LFG and producing up to 130 GWh (approx. 445,000 MMBtu or 12 400 000 m³ or 468,000 GJ) of RNG per year, meeting the gas consumption needs of approximately 8,000 households in Quebec annually. This project will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 21,500 metric tons of CO2eq by reducing fossil-based natural gas usage.
Énercycle is the first North American operator to benefit from this innovation that is currently in operation at 15 landfill sites. The WAGABOX® unit was built in Quebec by Waga Energy’s Canadian subsidiary with support from local contractors. Waga Energy builds the cryogenic distillation unit, which removes oxygen and nitrogen from LFG, in France as this is a critical component of the WAGABOX®.
This project will help to meet the sustainability goals set by the Quebec government in its “Plan for a Green Economy.”