Waga Energy opens subsidiary in Brazil

Waga Energy, a French producer of renewable natural gas (RNG) from landfills, is deploying its patented technology in South America with the opening of a subsidiary in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Waga says the Brazilian subsidiary is in line with its international deployment strategy. Waga Energy has a presence in six countries in Europe and North America, where it develops, finances and operates its Wagabox units to produce RNG, a substitute for fossil-based natural gas, using biogas naturally generated by landfill sites.

Brazil has about 3,850 landfill sites, according to Waga, some of which are equipped with collection systems for biogas generated naturally by the decomposition of organic matter. Recent regulations have encouraged operators to reduce the emissions of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, on these sites.

The country’s Combustivel do Futuro (Fuel of the Future) law, enacted in 2024, encourages the production and use of renewable energy sources, including RNG, with the aim of decarbonizing the transportation industry. It also creates certificates of guarantee of origin (CGOB) to encourage decarbonization programs, Waga says.

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“We are proud to open this new subsidiary,” Waga Energy Group Chairman and CEO Mathieu Lefebvre says. “Brazil offers great potential for the growth of our innovative industrial solution, with numerous landfill sites and significant environmental challenges. Our Wagabox technology provides added value to landfill site managers and offers clean, local and renewable energy for Brazilians. We are ready to take up the challenge: to support, in our own way, the country in its decarbonization goals and to contribute to its fight against climate change.”

Waga has recruited Alvaro Ferreira to develop this new Brazilian subsidiary. Ferreira has nearly 30 years of experience contributing to the development of markets for industrial gas, natural gas and renewable gas, including RNG. He has held management positions with White Marins and GNLink in Brazil and in China.

“Our patented, disruptive technology has proven its potential on European and North American markets,” Ferreira says. “We are equipped to offer solutions adapted to size and to Brazil’s goals in energy transition.”

RNG addresses three economic and environmental issues for the country, the company says: reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving air quality; increasing its energy independence with respect to imports and reducing its dependency on fossil fuels; and converting waste by valorizing it into a precious energy resource.

The integration of RNG in the Brazilian energy mix is also one of the tools designed to meet the goals of the Paris agreement, signed by Brazil in September 2016, according to the release. The country is aiming for a 43 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, with a goal of incorporating 10 percent RNG in the gas network.

In November, Brazil will host COP 30, the 30^th United Nations Climate Change Conference, which will convene in Belem.