European biomethane company Waga Energy has signed a contract with Steuben County, New York, USA for the development of a Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) project at a municipal solid waste landfill located in the town of Bath.
Waga Energy will build the landfill gas upgrading unit using its patented WAGABOX® technology, which combines membrane filtration and cryogenic distillation to separate methane from landfill gas.
Once completed, the unit will produce grid compliant RNG, also called biomethane, from the methane generated by the decomposition of the waste in the landfill.
The unit will be commissioned by March 2023 and will purify 1,000 standard cubic feet per minute of raw landfill gas to deliver 207,000 mmBtu (60GWh) of RNG.
Waga Energy CEO and cofounder Mathieu Lefebvre said, “We are honoured 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® 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.”
The biomethane will be injected into the local grid and can be used for residential consumption or as a transportation fuel, equivalent to supplying around 4,000 homes with clean, local, and renewable energy, saving an estimated 13,500 tons of carbon dioxide per year.
Waga Energy will fund, build, operate and maintain the unit under a 20-year landfill gas supply contract with Steuben County.
Waga Energy will sell the RNG to a private offtaker through a power purchase agreement and will share profits with Steuben County.
Steuben County is home to about 99,000 residents, and its solid waste landfill in Bath is authorized to dispose of 150,000 tons of waste per year.
