Waga Energy system coming to Iowa landfill

Waga Energy Inc., a France-based landfill gas-to-renewable natural gas (RNG) systems maker, has signed a commercial agreement with the Waste Commission of Scott County, Iowa, to collaborate on an RNG production facility at the Scott Area Landfill in Davenport, Iowa.

Also involved in the collaboration is Davenport-based Linwood Mining and Minerals Corp., a limestone producer that owns the land where the landfill is located.

As part of the agreement, Waga Energy will fund construction of one of its patented Wagabox systems, designed to upgrade landfill-generated methane gas into what it calls pipeline-quality RNG.

Waga Energy will operate the plant for an initial 20-year term, sharing revenue with the Waste Commission and Linwood. “Waga Energy will also support the commission’s ongoing wellfield operations to optimize methane capture and maximize renewable energy production,” the French firm states.

“We are thrilled to partner with the Waste Commission of Scott County and Linwood on this circular economy project serving the local community and the energy transition,” Waga Energy CEO Guénaël Prince says. “Thanks to our unique and innovative Wagabox technology, the energy contained in the waste stored at the Scott Area Landfill, which was flared until now, will be injected directly into the local pipeline to supply homes and businesses”.

The plant is expected to start commercial operations in 2025, after which the Wagabox unit will be able to deliver more than 200,000 metric million British thermal units (MMBtu) of RNG per year—equivalent to about 60 gigawatt hours of energy.

“This collaboration has generated a forward-thinking project that benefits all partners and the environment," says Kathy Morris, executive director of the Waste Commission of Scott County. "We are thrilled that the methane gas generated at the Scott Area Landfill will be converted into RNG.”

Production will be injected directly into a nearby gas pipeline through a 1-mile connection that will be built as part of the project. “The facility will produce energy with an environmental benefit avoiding over 13,700 CO₂ annually, equivalent to avoiding emissions from 1.4 million gallons of gasoline per year based on the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) calculation methodology,” Waga Energy says.

The Scott Area Landfill, which is operated by the Waste Commission of Scott County, receives around 185,000 tons of municipal solid waste per year produced by the residents of Scott County, whose largest cities are Davenport and Bettendorf.

“The project will generate additional revenue to both the commission and Linwood while contributing to the energy transition and the fight against climate change,” Waga Energy says.

There currently are 17 Wagabox units in operation in France, Canada, and Spain, and 16 more under construction in the United States, France and Canada.