Veolia and Waga Energy launch the largest landfill gas-to-RNG project in Europe

In early October, Waga Energy and Veolia signed a contract in Paris to install a Wagabox purification unit at the waste storage center in Claye-Souilly (Seine-et-Marne), the largest landfill in France. This facility, due to be commissioned in February 2022, will produce RNG from landfill gas. It will purify 3,000 m³/h (1,775 scfm) of landfill gas and deliver over 120 GWh/y (410,000 mmbtus). It will supply 20,000 households in the Paris region with renewable gas.

Contributing to the ecological transition by producing green gas

Wagabox is a disruptive technology enabling biogas to be recovered from landfill. It generates biomethane by separating methane from other components of biogas produced by the decomposition of organic matter. This biogas is difficult to purify as it contains air. Moreover, its flow rate and composition vary depending on meteorological conditions.

Biomethane produced by the Wagabox unit in Claye-Souilly will be injected directly into the natural gas grid to supply private customers and companies in the Paris Basin. This will avoid 25,000 tonnes of CO₂emissions per year (by replacing natural gas, which is a fossil fuel). The storage center in Claye-Souilly will thus play an active role in the ecological transition.

Construction of the Wagabox unit and its connection to the natural gas grid will require investment  of €10 million, which will be provided by Waga Energy. The Veolia Group will make the necessary  adjustments to its site to accommodate the equipment, which will cost €1 million.

A technology in full expansion

The Claye-Souilly project is the third green gas injection project initiated by Waga Energy and Veolia, with the first such Wagabox unit commissioned in November 2018 at the waste storage center in Saint-Palais (Cher) and a second unit currently being built in Le Ham (Manche). A total of ten Wagabox units are currently in operation in France. With a total capacity of 200 GWh per year, they supply 32,000 households with renewable gas and avoid 40,000 tonnes of CO² emissions per year.

Since 2006, the Veolia facility in Claye-Souilly has been using motors and turbines to recover biogas produced by waste as electricity and heat. In 2009, Veolia, moreover, developed the first unit producing biomethane fuel from waste-generated biogas (Meth’OD) on this site. The Wagabox unit will replace some of this equipment and purify 3,000 m^3/h of biogas per hour, improving energy and environmental performance.

“Large-scale industrial solutions need to be implemented if we are to meet the European framework target of net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050. Recovery of biogas sourced from final landfill waste is one of the key drivers of our efforts to help achieve this goal. Due to its size and impact, this major project with Waga Energy perfectly embodies this approach. It is a genuine example of industrial and regional ecology, which will enable the production of local, renewable, carbon-free energy,” commented Hélène Lebedeff, Veolia Regional Director for Storage & Recovery, Waste Recycling and Recovery Business, for Ile-de-France.

“I would like to sincerely thank the Veolia Group for its faith and commitment to helping us tackle  climate change, the major challenge facing our generation. This highly innovative project reflects French  industrial excellence in gas engineering and the pioneering role played by our country within the field of  waste processing and recovery. It’s also a fantastic example of a partnership promoting energy transition  between a large global group and an innovative young company,” added Mathieu Lefebvre, CEO and co-founder of Waga Energy.

About Veolia Group

The Veolia Group is the global leader in optimized resource management. Operating in five continents with some 179,000 employees,  the Group designs and implements solutions for water, waste, and energy management that contribute to the sustainable development of cities and industries. Through its three interrelated businesses, Veolia helps develop access to resources, while also preserving and replenishing available resources. In 2019, the Veolia Group supplied 98 million people with drinking water and 67 million people with wastewater services, produced 45 million MWh of energy, and recovered 50 million tonnes of waste. Veolia Environnement (Paris Euronext: VIE) recorded consolidated revenue of €27,189 billion in 2019. For more information, visit https://veolia.com.

About Waga Energy

Waga Energy is an innovative young company set up in 2015 in Grenoble’s industrial area. It harnesses French gas engineering expertise to produce biomethane, a renewable substitute for natural gas, by recovering biogas from landfill sites. Waga Energy designs, finances and operates WAGABOX® units within the framework of long-term contracts with industrial operators involved in the environmental sector or local authorities. This model, combined with technology that is unparalleled anywhere else in the world, guarantees optimal waste recovery promoting the energy transition and helping tackle climate change. For more information, visit https://waga-energy.com.