Waga unveils renewable natural gas project in NY to decarbonize mobility
Waga Energy, a European expert in the production of renewable natural gas, is joining forces with Steuben County (New York) on a renewable natural gas project at a municipal solid waste landfill located in the town of Bath. The biomethane produced will be injected in the local grid and used as a biofuel to decarbonize mobility. This landfill will be the first in the US to adopt Waga Energy’s WAGABOX(R) technology, already in use at ten landfills with an additional eleven facilities forthcoming in Europe and North America.
Waga Energy will build a landfill gas upgrading unit using its patented WAGABOX(R) technology. Once completed, the unit will produce grid compliant biomethane from the methane generated by the decomposition of the waste in the landfill. The WAGABOX(R) unit will be commissioned by March 2023. It will purify 1,000 standard cubic feet per minute (1,600 cubic meters per hour) of raw landfill gas to deliver 207,000 mmBtu (60 GWh) of renewable natural gas.
Waga Energy will fund, build, operate and maintain the WAGABOX(R) unit under a 20-year landfill gas supply contract with Steuben County. The entire facility will be built in North America, with the exception of one of the components of the cryogenic module that will be imported from France.
The company will generate revenues by selling renewable natural gas to a private offtaker through a purchase agreement similar to the PPAs (power purchase agreements) commonly used for renewable electricity projects. The revenue generated by the project will be shared with Steuben County.
“We are honored to have been selected by Steuben County to upgrade the methane from its Bath landfill. This first contract in the United States marks a major milestone to introduce our WAGABOX(R) solution to the US market. We are eager for landfill operators in the United States to see how efficient our technology is, and how our hassle-free operating model can help small and medium-sized landfills generate additional revenues while taking concrete action against climate change,” said Waga Energy CEO and cofounder Mathieu Lefebvre.
Steuben County Manager Jack Wheeler also commented: “Steuben County is thrilled to partner with Waga Energy in leveraging landfill gas in an environmentally conscious and economically advantageous project. WagaEnergy has proven to be a highly innovative international firm, and bringing this collaboration to fruition will benefit Steuben County and our region for many years to come.”